The European Commission announced on Tuesday that Apple’s iMessage messaging service, as well as Microsoft’s Bing and Edge search browsers, will not be classified as “gatekeepers” under the stringent digital competition regulations of the European Union. The investigation into this matter has now been closed.
This decision marks a victory for Apple, particularly concerning its iMessage service, which has faced criticism from Android users due to compatibility issues. As a result of this ruling, Apple will not be obligated to open up the messaging infrastructure of iMessage to alternative producers from Android device manufacturers, Meta’s WhatsApp and Facebook Messenger apps, or encrypted messaging platforms like Signal and Telegram.
One of the long-standing grievances from users has been the distinction in message displays between Apple and non-Apple users. Messages from non-Apple users appear with green bubbles, while those from fellow iMessage users are shown with blue bubbles. Currently, iMessage is exclusively available to users of iPhones and other Apple devices such as iPads.
Source (CNBC)
