Under the Digital Markets Act of the European Union (EU), the debate over whether Apple should make iMessage compatible with third-party messaging services has come to an end. This law, adopted in 2022, imposed restrictions on certain services known as “gatekeepers,” including the App Store and messaging services.
EU accepts Apple’s claim regarding iMessage
EU officials have accepted Apple’s claim that iMessage is not widely used enough to warrant such compatibility. In September 2023, a decision to grant a reprieve for iMessage and Microsoft’s services like the Bing search engine was made while hearing arguments from Apple and Microsoft. However, in the end, the EU decided not to classify iMessage and other services as gatekeeper services.
This decision means that iMessage will not be required to integrate with third-party messaging applications, allowing iMessage users to continue communicating and using blue-green text bubbles.
iMessage won’t be opened to rival messaging companies
It is not expected that this decision will change Apple’s announcement that iMessage will support the RCS (Rich Communication Services) standard in 2024. RCS is a messaging protocol that Google has been pressuring Apple to adopt.
The EU initially stated that iMessage fell within the scope of the law. However, it announced that it retracted this decision, taking into account Apple’s compelling arguments.
Apple claimed that iMessage and other services met the gatekeeper thresholds defined by the EU, but the EU decided not to classify these services as gatekeepers. Detailed arguments have not yet been disclosed. The EU’s decision has relieved Apple of the obligation to open iMessage to rival messaging services. Developments on this issue will continue to be closely monitored.
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