Barack Obama cares about many things, but iMessage green bubbles aren't one of them

Over the past few years, Google has been making a big to-do about the problems with Apple’s texting platform known as iMessage. Android phones and iMessage don’t play nice together, with messages from Android users turning chat bubbles green and breaking many features. Google has unified texting on Android through its RCS-based Messages app, but Apple won’t adopt RCS, so the two platforms will continue to be at odds.

During an interview on Decoder, a program run by The Verge, former United States President Barack Obama chimed in on the green bubble phenomenon. Host Nilay Patel asked Obama about the apps he keeps on his iPhone dock (the four apps that appear at the bottom of the home screen at all times). When Obama mentioned iMessage was one of them, Patel asked if he “gives any people crap for being a green bubble.” Obama responded with a shake of his head, saying, “No, I’m OK.”

You can see the video clip below or on X (formerly Twitter):

Perhaps if Obama can look past green bubbles invading his iMessage chats, the rest of the world can, too.

Elsewhere in the interview, Obama talks about how he spends too much time playing Words With Friends and needs to stop himself from constantly checking his NBA League Pass app. You can watch the full Decoder interview to hear Obama talk about AI, the internet in general, and free speech.