SMS is a fallback for iMessage. If two iPhone users send messages via iMessage, it is done through that service’s message type. But if they get or send messages to a non-iPhone user, it falls back on SMS. Which is why they have the blue (iMessage) and green (SMS) bubbles. So it is mostly about it just being a universal format if all you know is someone’s phone number. Which is why a lot of other message apps will also do both. Though I think we will see fewer SMS used as people are getting used to having their contacts auto-added to one or more of the chat apps (assuming they don’t opt-out of that feature). But I also think SMS is too universal to just completely go away all together. As it is the easiest way to send out an emergency alert or something else like that in a way that all carriers can 100% use.
SMS is a fallback for iMessage. If two iPhone users send messages via iMessage, it is done through that service’s message type. But if they get or send messages to a non-iPhone user, it falls back on SMS. Which is why they have the blue (iMessage) and green (SMS) bubbles. So it is mostly about it just being a universal format if all you know is someone’s phone number. Which is why a lot of other message apps will also do both. Though I think we will see fewer SMS used as people are getting used to having their contacts auto-added to one or more of the chat apps (assuming they don’t opt-out of that feature). But I also think SMS is too universal to just completely go away all together. As it is the easiest way to send out an emergency alert or something else like that in a way that all carriers can 100% use.