Apple’s iMessage needs to be a ‘core’ service, Google tells EU. Here is what it means

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In a letter to EU Inside Market Commissioner Thierry Breton, signed by an unnamed Google vice-president and the CEOs of the 5 telecoms corporations, they argue that customers can be higher off with the ‘core’ companies designation as a result of ‘encriched messaging’ is at the moment solely obtainable between Apple customers.

The letter written by Google and different telecom operators and seen by The Monetary Instances learn, “It’s paramount that companies can attain all their clients making the most of fashionable communications companies with enriched messaging options,” the letter, which was confirmed by a number of sources, added. “By iMessage, enterprise customers are solely capable of ship enriched messages to iOS customers and should depend on conventional SMS for all the opposite finish customers.”

Apple’s response to the iMessage controversy: 

Know-how corporations with revenues of greater than €7.5 billion and greater than 10,000 month-to-month energetic enterprise customers fall underneath the preview of the Digital Markets Act. Whereas Apple has greater than 10,000 enterprise customers, the Cupertino-based firm has claimed that iMessage should not fall underneath the brand new guidelines as a result of customers do not pay immediately for iMessage and Apple gadgets can be utilized with out the iMessage app, the Monetary Instances quoted paperwork launched by the Fee as saying.

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Apple instructed the European Fee, “iMessage doesn’t represent an vital gateway within the union for enterprise customers to achieve finish customers as a result of its small scale relative to different messaging companies”.

Nevertheless, the Fee has famous that iMessage does contribute to rising Apple’s income not directly because the messaging app is pre-installed on the corporate’s gadgets and performs an vital function in “growth of Apple’s ecosystem”.

What occurs if Apple iMessage is classed as a ‘core service’: 

Beneath the present system, Apple customers can talk by way of iMessage with the ‘blue bubble’ texts, whereas texts from all interactions outdoors the Apple ecosystem are despatched by way of SMS with the ‘inexperienced bubble’.

Switching from the blue bubble to the inexperienced bubble additionally means shedding some options equivalent to encryption and prime quality photos and movies.

Nevertheless, if Apple’s iMessage is designated as a ‘core’ platform service underneath the EU’s new guidelines, the corporate will likely be compelled to make the iMessage service interoperable with different related messaging apps in the marketplace.

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Up to date: 08 Nov 2023, 07:13 PM IST