Apple relies on current iPhone owners to generate growth
Back in the earlier days of the iPhone and Android, Apple tried to “woo” Android users more aggressively. But Apple then used the so-called “walled gardens” in an attempt to get Android users to jump to iOS. A good example of this is the iOS Messages app which doesn’t provide Android users with the same experience that iOS users have when messaging fellow iOS users. Android users who wanted the coveted blue bubble when messaging on iOS needed to switch to iPhone and this strategy worked to a degree.
But now, Android users are looking beyond the blue bubble and simply want to be able to receive the same high-quality images from iOS users, get a read receipt, see a typing indicator, and have end-to-end encryption. This will happen later this year when Apple says it will support Rich Communication Services (RCS). But this won’t cost Apple too much in iPhone sales considering the data that CIRP has presented us with.
