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Apple @lemmy.world

octalfudge @lemmy.world

2y ago

Apple allegedly arguing iMessage isn't big enough to be EU gatekeeper service

appleinsider.com

Apple allegedly argues iMessage not a gatekeeper service in EU

24 comments

tbf, Apple‘s iMessage dominance is mostly a US based phenomenon. In European countries, many people use WhatsApp and telegram. Anecdotal evidence: I don’t know anybody using iMessage.
- Same, I don’t know anyone using iMessage and I’m deep into Apple circles.
  
  Same in France. Apple or not, it’s still mostly WhatsApp and a bit of Telegram around me. Only old iPhone users who haven’t installed anything are using iMessage because it’s the default application.
- People in each country used whatever everyone else is using. In the US that became text/iMessage. This was partially driven by the way cell companies charged in the US with free texts but limits on data (iMessage uses data, but it came later).
  In other countries the better at the time options won out. We talk to our friends in Europe and Africa with WhatsApp.
- That’s not quite what I see in France. Many people use Whatsapp to text friends/family when they’re abroad. But everyday, I mostly see classic SMS texts (or iMessage)

They're not wrong. Barely anyone uses iMessage.
- *outside of the US

🤣🤣🤣
They don’t believe that for a second. They just want to keep that lock in.
- I don’t know anyone in the UK that actually uses it as iMessage and not just as the SMS app.
  I think this goes back to the time of 3G pay monthly SIMs (before the iPhone) that would come with unlimited data, but limited texts. That pushed people to use apps like WhatsApp that basically just allowed unlimited texts.
  
  If what you and others are saying is true, that only a small number use iMessage, then that supports Apple’s claim and there’s no need to open it since not many people use it.

If Apple's iMessage does fall under the DMA ruleset, it means Apple will be required to open iMessage to third-party operators.
What does this look like in practice?
- It will just force them to document and open up their APIs and protocols.
- It could mean they make iMessage compatible with RCS for fucking once. Which would actually be a good thing for all Apple users.
  
  How will it be a good thing for all Apple users since Apple users use iMessage and don’t give a crap about SMS or RCS?
  Maybe it it was someone else besides google pushing RCS it might have a better adoption rate. But by this time next year google will have moved to another message app.
- They turn off iMessage in Europe. Or have argue it’s ability to fall back to SMS meets this. Or the industry invents a protocol that they all use and iMessage gets a new colored bubble.
- What does this look like in practice?
  An endless sea of spam that Apple is legally required to deliver.

Fuck apple, give them hell
- Why are you getting downvoted wtf is wrong with lemmy? Apple is literally the largest shittiest company in the world.

24 comments