There’s been too much focus on the color of the bubble, or security, or specific features.
But the real issue boils down to human in/out group dynamics. Being excluded from group chats or having people get frustrated by the lone Android user in the group are powerful forms of peer pressure. And that pressure exists because Apple has pretty clearly made the experience intentionally frustrating.
That said, in the specific feature category: lacking the ability to send a reasonable quality photo or video is also a pretty big issue in 2023.
But the real issue boils down to human in/out group dynamics. Being excluded from group chats or having people get frustrated by the lone Android user in the group are powerful forms of peer pressure. And that pressure exists because Apple has pretty clearly made the experience intentionally frustrating.
That said, in the specific feature category: lacking the ability to send a reasonable quality photo or video is also a pretty big issue in 2023.