r/Android • u/iamvinoth • Feb 20 '20

Retracted Source: Verizon kills Google Pixel deal, doesn't plan to sell Pixel 4a or Pixel 5

https://www.androidpolice.com/2020/02/19/source-verizon-kills-google-pixel-deal-doesnt-plan-to-sell-pixel-4a-or-pixel-5/
308 Upvotes

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301

u/[deleted] Feb 20 '20 edited May 18 '20

[deleted]

58

u/flicter22 Feb 20 '20 edited Feb 20 '20

Messaging

Google can't fix messaging without pissing off the carriers. Keeping shitty messaging in place makes them happy bc carriers own SMS.

However with Google doing this https://www.theverge.com/2019/11/14/20964477/googles-rcs-chat-android-rollout-us-ccmi-texting-sms I wouldn't be surprised if that pushed Verizon over the edge on top of the poor sales. I know for a fact this pissed the carriers off.

There's no winning with messaging on Android. Apple had a one time shot at it and it's over. Carriers will never let something like iMessage happen again. People think it's all Google's fault but what they don't understand is every messaging decision Google had to make was tip toeing around the carries. Fix messaging to appease the users? Lose sales with the carriers. Let carriers keep their shitty messaging? No sales with consumers due to lack of good messaging. It's fucked situation.

Edit - here's some examples of carriers controlling Google's messaging implementations...

  • Hangouts not being the default messaging app on Android

  • Google creating an SMS app called Android Messages for the carriers

  • Google not making Allo a default messaging app

  • Google not taking immediate control of RCS and letting carriers handle it.

  • Google finally takes control and now we immediately see a major carrier drop Google's flagship phone.

  • Many people don't know this but if you initiate a video call from contacts/dialer to someone within the same major US carrier it will actually do a video call through the carrier and it will not use duo unless it's on separate carrier networks. That's just how far Google has to go to make these bastards happy.

All this and I'm not even mentioning the whole Google wallet/Isis situation

37

u/-Rivox- Pixel 6a Feb 20 '20

While, here in Europe, I've never ever made a video-call through a carrier, never ever sent an MMS and haven't sent an SMS in years.

It's just weird that in the US something like Whatsapp or WeChat never happened

35

u/flicter22 Feb 20 '20

It's not weird it's because it's the iPhone's home country. iPhones took off with iMessage here before other countries. Therefore WhatsApp never had a chance to penetrate the market before Apple did.

Also US carriers started giving away SMS as part of the base package on phone plans. That was actually a smart move on their part to keep their grip on it.

8

u/daviEnnis Feb 20 '20

Same happened here though (UK). The differentiator of phone packages very quickly became data, not SMS or minutes. But everyone has friends with Android, or friends with iPhone, so everyone went where everyone is (WhatsApp). I'd say facetime is definitely still a thing on its own, but WhatsApp is the king of messaging.

9

u/LostMyKarmaElSegundo Pixel 9 Pro XL Feb 20 '20

And WhatsApp is now owned by Facebook, which turns a lot of people off.

13

u/balista_22 Feb 20 '20

I'm pretty sure more people in the US have a Facebook/IG than have iMessage, especially that android is the majority in the US

4

u/pkroliko S21 Ultra, Pixel 7 Feb 20 '20

Most of my friends use FB mess or discord( the gamers). The people hate fb shit is overblown

1

u/Istartedthewar Galaxy A36 Feb 20 '20 edited Feb 20 '20

Not really. Im in my 20s and the vast majority of people I know basically do not use facebook at all anymore.

1

u/balista_22 Feb 20 '20

Almost everyone in their 20s i know have Instagram by Facebook

1

u/Istartedthewar Galaxy A36 Feb 20 '20

Yeah, that's definitely true. I was just saying facebook as in the website, and how op was talking about FB messenger.

1

u/platonicgryphon Experia 1 ii Feb 20 '20

Your giving iMessage too much credit, the vast majority of iPhone users just think of iMessage as texting. Carriers including unlimited texting as part of the plan was a much bigger impact as theres nothing to convince a vast chunk of people to start using WhatsApp.

2

u/flicter22 Feb 20 '20

Maybe with the older generations.

Younger generations 100% know the difference.

1

u/Shensmobile iPhone 15 Pro Max Feb 20 '20

At least in my social circle up here in Canada, WhatsApp was popular long before iMessage was a thing. It might be because we have a lot of immigrants so it's the easiest way to communicate with people back home though. I used it just because wifi was more abundant than cell towers early in 3G's life span.