Been scrolling through TikTok and seen people joking about ‘imsg’ or debating ‘blue bubbles vs. green bubbles’ and felt totally lost? You’re not alone, and the explanation is surprisingly simple. This entire online trend boils down to one thing: the color of the text messages on an Apple iPhone.
On an iPhone, any message you send to another iPhone user automatically appears in a blue bubble. This is iMessage, Apple’s own messaging system, and it works a bit like a special club—members get extra features that only work between them. This is the core of the blue bubble vs. green bubble meaning everyone talks about.
So, what is the meaning of being a green bubble? That color shows up the moment someone with an Android phone joins the chat. These are just standard texts without the special iMessage features. This simple visual difference in Apple vs. Android messaging is the entire secret behind one of TikTok’s most persistent social trends.
Whats IMSG: Why a Text Color Became a Social Status Symbol on TikTok
This simple color difference is where the real trend begins. On platforms like TikTok, it’s less about technology and more about a kind of digital social club. The blue bubble is often treated as a sign that you’re “in the group,” making iMessage a digital status symbol in a very public, albeit playful, way. It signals that you share the same “language” and features as the person you’re texting.
You’ll most often see this play out in short skits about dating. A popular format for what is the iMessage trend on TikTok involves someone getting a text from a new crush, only to react with comical disappointment when the bubble is green. It has become a lighthearted piece of modern dating app texting etiquette—a funny, but not serious, “red flag.”
This trend is almost always tongue-in-cheek. While the jokes are widespread, they are rarely a serious judgment of someone for having an Android. The humor comes from how something so small—the color of a text message—has become a silly, shared inside joke online.
The Simple Takeaway on the ‘imsg’ Trend
While ‘imsg’ might seem like a confusing piece of Gen Z texting habits, the explanation is simple. The tag is just the starting point—the real story is the playful social status tied to the blue bubble aesthetic.
Now, the next time you see a TikTok video joking about green text bubbles, you’ll be in on the joke and understand one of the internet’s most persistent and simple social trends.