iMessage must head to Android – SMARTmania.cz

• Google filed a complaint with the European Commission
• He wants Apple’s iMessage to fall under the Digital Services Act
• He enlisted the help of leading European operators

Apple is famous for its iMessage communication service, and in many ways it has already permeated popular culture. Some, led by competitor Google, don’t like this – Apple’s exclusive service, in their opinion, divides users into two camps, with the Mountain View giant getting the short end of the stick. In his opinion, this exclusivity even violates the laws, at least the European ones. The Digital Services Act was written and approved, among other things, to prevent similar exclusivities.

Will iMessage be available to everyone in Europe?

Google is now trying to convince the European Commission to include iMessage among the platform’s so-called core services, which would oblige Apple to also offer its service on competing platforms, namely Android. For its campaign, Google is gathering support from the largest European operators, such as Telefónica, Orange, Vodafone and Deutsche Telekom, who together with the Internet giant have already sent a letter to the relevant authorities demanding that iMessage be made available for the competing platform as well.

According to their opinion, the customers who will primarily benefit from the iMessage multi-platform solution are the European Union in the framework of the Digital Services Act. Proponents of the proposal believe that since iMessage comes pre-installed on all iPhones and is available exclusively to users using those devices, it indirectly contributes to Apple’s revenue by forcing buyers to purchase an iPhone.

Because of these conditions, iMessage has been in the crosshairs of the European Union for some time, but Apple has so far managed to prevent its exclusive service from being covered by the Digital Services Act. Apple claims that iMessage is not very popular in Europe, and therefore the law does not apply to it. He bases his claim on the fact that iMessage reportedly has under 45 million active users, which is the legal limit. The company from Cupertino also claims that since iMessage is free and iPhones can do without it, there is no need to make it a cross-platform solution.

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The European Union has until February to decide how to deal with iMessage and whether it is subject to the Digital Services Act. Assuming the app meets the conditions, Apple will have until March 2024 to bring it into compliance with the law.