Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Tell him to have his friends switch to Whatsapp or Signal. Much better for group texting. Imessage is very last year.

So, why is your kid asking my kid and 20 other kids on the soccer team to purchase an app less obnoxious that your kid asking you to buy him a specific phone?

Dp
Whatsapp is free

Yes and it's encrypted so it should be the preferred mode of communication over texting

It is owned by Meta (Facebook) so you have to want to be a part of all that.

Stop making it sound sinister. Whatsapp is downloaded like any other app. It's encrypted end to end and you can adjust settings. I have security settings set pretty high and yet I get ALL messages from the group.

I would let the kid switch, there is just so much peer pressure among teens and young adults. Supposedly it's because of odd things like green dots, but I think it's a combination of status and exclusion.

I have a Pixel, and it's great. When he is spending his own money, he may decide it's not worth it to have an iPhone too.

It's hilarious how riled up iPhone users get about Android users in their group chats. Meanwhile, as an Android user, *my* experience in group chats with iPhone users is also messed up vs. chats with all Android users. It's getting better in that I can usually see people's reactions to messages, but the iPhone reactions to pictures still come across as text saying "Kate loved image."

I get that there are more iPhone users out there than Android. But don't pretend like your phone is right and mine is wrong! They appear incompatible on both ends, and Apple designed it that way to create the exact weird-ass behavior y'all are exhibiting.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I never understand that. I have an android phone and it works just fine in many group chats with iphone people.

I don’t totally understand it either but all I know is that when my one niece is on the family group chats, texts frequently don’t go through. I definitely can’t send any photos. It’s never an issue without her and everyone else has iPhones. I know iMessage works over wifi and am not text savvy enough to know if this has to do with having poor cell reception.

I get pictures from iphones all the time? They are smaller than from another android but I think I read Apple is changing so that will not happen anymore.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Tell him to have his friends switch to Whatsapp or Signal. Much better for group texting. Imessage is very last year.

So, why is your kid asking my kid and 20 other kids on the soccer team to purchase an app less obnoxious that your kid asking you to buy him a specific phone?

Dp
Whatsapp is free

Yes and it's encrypted so it should be the preferred mode of communication over texting

It is owned by Meta (Facebook) so you have to want to be a part of all that.

Anonymous wrote:You can’t add or delete anyone from a group text with androids - it’s actually really annoying for that reason alone bc if you want to add someone new you need a whole new chat. Also someone can’t leave the text like you can on iMessage. This is fine for smaller text groups but bigger ones it’s annoying.

Let him get an iPhone.

I guess that is just on the Apple side. I just looked at my phone. I have an "add people" option from within an existing group. All of my contacts are there including iphone users.

So where do all of these missed messages go? And why can some get messages and others can't?. I'm in several group texts with iPhones and I've never once felt left out of a conversation or have missed information that I needed.

Anonymous wrote:Do not switch your kid's phone to iPhone so they fit in with the "right" peers. Step back from getting caught up in your child's social stress, look at it from a larger point of view, and realize how this is not what you need ro take action on.

It's not about fitting in. It's about them receiving messages.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If my child's social standing ever depends on what type of phone he has then God help us all

My kid's social standing depends on them showing up for things. If their employer emails out hours in a group text, or if their soccer team announces changes to practice in a group text, or their friends announce a party in group text, and they miss it, then that can impact their social life.

This. The kid without an iphone in my son's HS social group constantly missed information, which then resulted in his mom becoming worried about him so she *individually texted his friends* to ask them to reach out. Luckily the boys all just laughed about it and didn't drop the friend, but, lady, come on!

I am dying for that kid. Really.

Do not switch your kid's phone to iPhone so they fit in with the "right" peers. Step back from getting caught up in your child's social stress, look at it from a larger point of view, and realize how this is not what you need ro take action on.

Androids are the best because using Google drive, Gmail is device independent. Apple is a walled garden and you can't even store anything on your device. You are their chattel.

Get your kid the cheapest iPhone you can. Remind him to back up his Pixel before you brick it. And to put any saved on device files on his drive.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If my child's social standing ever depends on what type of phone he has then God help us all

My kid's social standing depends on them showing up for things. If their employer emails out hours in a group text, or if their soccer team announces changes to practice in a group text, or their friends announce a party in group text, and they miss it, then that can impact their social life.

This. The kid without an iphone in my son's HS social group constantly missed information, which then resulted in his mom becoming worried about him so she *individually texted his friends* to ask them to reach out. Luckily the boys all just laughed about it and didn't drop the friend, but, lady, come on!

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Tell him to have his friends switch to Whatsapp or Signal. Much better for group texting. Imessage is very last year.

So, why is your kid asking my kid and 20 other kids on the soccer team to purchase an app less obnoxious that your kid asking you to buy him a specific phone?

Dp
Whatsapp is free

Yes and it's encrypted so it should be the preferred mode of communication over texting

My kids each have an email address that I monitor through Google, so Google chat works well for us.
RCS is far better than SMS?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Tell him to have his friends switch to Whatsapp or Signal. Much better for group texting. Imessage is very last year.

So, why is your kid asking my kid and 20 other kids on the soccer team to purchase an app less obnoxious that your kid asking you to buy him a specific phone?

Dp
Whatsapp is free