Green vs. Blue Bubbles: A Thought On Thorough e-Discovery

If you own an iPhone, take a look at your most recent text messaging threads. Are the words contained in a blue or a green speech balloon?

A blue speech balloon indicates that the communication was sent via Apple's proprietary iMessage protocol, while a green balloon indicates that the communication was sent as a SMS text message. The difference is that an iMessage exchange is the default where both participants in the conversation are using Apple iOS devices and iMessaging has not been turned off in the device's settings; the protocol utilizes the available data connection (cellular or wi-fi) to complete the exchange through Apple's servers, using the users' respective phone numbers or Apple IDs for sender-recipient identification. On the other hand, if one or both of the conversation participants is not using an iOS device, SMS text messaging protocol will be used to deliver the message over the cellular provider's service network to complete the exchange.