Apple considered having iMessage on Android a decade ago, but decided to keep it exclusively for the iPhone in order to retain users. It is not a technical problem, since iMessage could work on the Google operating system and other manufacturers without problems. It is simply one more strategy in the long battle that big technology is fighting.
Google asks Europe for help. Tired of waiting for Apple to take the step, Google has asked Brussels for help to act. In a letter to which the Financial Times has had access, it is stated that Google has asked the European Commission to designate iMessage as a “core” service framed within the Digital Markets Act (DMA).
You are not alone in this petition, as it is also signed by representatives of Vodafone, Deutsche Telekom, Telefónica and Orange. The main European operators that also believe that the expansion of Apple’s messaging service would be beneficial.
The inclusion of iMessage is up in the air. Last September, the Commission designated the 22 services that were included within the DMA. In total six “gatekeepers” and their respective systems. Apple is one of them, but among the services chosen are the App Store, Safari and iOS. But iMessage was not initially included.
Although the door was left open. The Commission gave itself five months to decide on iMessage.
The argument is that almost no one uses iMessage here. The justification given by Apple is that the use of iMessage in Europe is residual, unlike in the United States. These low numbers justify not including it as a “core” service and therefore avoiding the obligation to open its ecosystem.
Another argument put forward by Apple is that of privacy and security, which would supposedly be affected if it were forced to make iMessage compatible with Android phones.
Tightening the rope so that Europe is more forceful. The letter sent by Google and the operators is a pressure movement for the European Commission to act more forcefully.
“Consumers using an Apple iPhone should be able to benefit from competitive services from a variety of providers,” explained Thierry Breton, European Commissioner for the Internal Market. A declaration of intentions that will have to be seen to what extent it materializes into obligations.
Image | Guillaume Perigois