“I like to leave it a mystery”: When Chase Elliott came clean on preferring Apple over Android phones

Hendrick Motorsports ace Chase Elliott once weighed in on the iPhone vs Android debate, siding with Apple for a particular reason. Elliott insisted that he's an iPhone guy mainly because of iMessage and doesn't like being "that guy" with an Android phone.

The iPhone vs Android debate has been going on for years, with NASCAR's Most Popular driver aligning himself with the Apple community. He revealed his preference in a past interview with Jeff Gluck in 2019, during the 12 Questions segment, where he was asked to pick sides between the two tech giants.

Elliott responded that he primarily used an iPhone for iMessage and hinted that he’d be in trouble if he were caught using an Android phone. When asked about the green text bubbles associated with Android users, he admitted they were annoying and said he didn’t want to be "that guy." The #9 Hendrick Motorsports driver said:

"I’m an iPhone guy, mainly for iMessage. I feel like if it wasn’t for iMessage, you would be in trouble. So that’s why I like it...It is very annoying, and I don’t want to be that guy."

Elliott also revealed that he keeps his read receipts off, preferring to leave the sender guessing when he has seen a message.

"I don’t. I like to leave it a mystery," he added.

In another 12 Questions segment with Jeff Gluck in 2022, Elliott suggested that Apple should add an "unread" feature, allowing users to read messages later if they had read them in a hurry. Coincidentally, Apple introduced the feature shortly after the Hendrick Motorsports driver made his suggestion.

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When Chase Elliott clarified his allegiance to "team iPhone"

Early in the 2023 NASCAR season, Chase Elliott was sidelined due to his leg injury and missed six races. During this period, Corey LaJoie shared a video in which he texted Elliott to ask if he would be racing that weekend. What caught fans’ attention, however, was the green text bubbles — suggesting that Elliott was not using an iPhone.

Elliott clarified that LaJoie did him dirty and he was on team iPhone. the #9 Hendrick Motorsports driver wrote on X:

"Yeah @CoreyLaJoie did me dirty with that one… sorry but team I’m iphone here pal"

Elliott returned to racing after a six-week recovery period and missed another race that season due to a suspension. He failed to qualify for the playoffs, marking the worst season of his NASCAR Cup career. However, he bounced back in 2024, securing a victory at Texas Motor Speedway and a remarkably consistent season.

The 2020 NASCAR champion kicked off his 2025 season with a victory in the season-opening Clash and sits fourth in the standings, after five races in the season.