Google, European Telecoms Giants Call on EU to Force Open iMessage

[MacRumors]

Google and European telecom groups have urged EU regulators to designate iMessage a "core" service that would force Apple to make the communications platform interoperable with competing chat services, reports the Financial Times.

In a letter sent to the European Commission, the EU's executive body, the signatories including Google and some of Europe's largest telecoms operators claimed that Apple's service meets the qualitative thresholds of the act, and should therefore be captured by the rules to "benefit European consumers and businesses."

The "fundamental nature" of iMessage as "an important gateway between business users and their customers is without doubt justification for Apple’s designation as gatekeeper for its iMessage service," argued Google, Vodafone, Deutsche Telekom, Telefónica and Orange in the letter. They said consumers would be better off as a result of the designation because "enriched messaging" is only available between Apple users, according to the report.

Apple declined to comment on the report, but pointed to an earlier statement that said:

"iMessage is a great service that Apple users love because it provides an easy way to communicate with friends and family while offering industry-leading privacy and security protections.

"Consumers today have access to a wide variety of messaging apps, and often use many at once, which reflects how easy it is to switch between them. iMessage is designed and marketed for personal consumer communications, and we look forward to explaining to the commission why iMessage is outside the scope of the DMA."

Apple in September contested the EU regulator labeling them as "gatekeepers" ahead of the publication of the first list of services to be regulated by the Digital Markets Act (DMA). The legislation introduces new rules that apply to services considered to be core platform services and forces them to open up their various services and platforms to other companies and developers. For example, Apple could be forced to allow third-party companies and rival apps like Meta's WhatsApp to integrate directly with iMessage.

However, Apple argued that iMessage does not meet the number of users required for the DMA's rules to apply, and should not be obliged to comply with it. "iMessage does not constitute an important gateway in the union for business users to reach end users due to its small scale relative to other messaging services," Apple reportedly told the commission.

Analysts estimate that iMessage has as many as one billion users around the world, but Apple has not disclosed any official numbers about the service for several years. Whether iMessage will be included on the EU's initial list of gatekeeper services will depend on how it defines the market in which it operates.

The EU's investigation into iMessage is ongoing, and the European Commission has until February to come to a decision.

Article Link: Google, European Telecoms Giants Call on EU to Force Open iMessage

 

[votdfak]

Walls closing in for walled garden.

 

[Berti10]

Those is ridiculous. They just have a better product and invested in the right technology at the right time.

 

[Berti10]

When I go to Disneyland, I pay to be in a walled garden, pay premium for everything. But that is my choice. I do not need dreamworks and Warner Bros also in there..

 

[tomnavratil]

Users have many messenger choices they can use on both Android and iOS. iMessage is just one option but nobody forces you to use it over Signal, Telegram, Whatsapp, Messenger, Element, SMS or any other platform to be honest. Apple as a company has decided not to open up iMessage fully to Android users to keep it as their USP and that makes complete sense. Users are not forced to use it and many don't (especially in Europe even if 2 people have iPhones, I can tell you that).

Google is trying to push their version of RCS so they can collect more user data and basically take one USP from Apple, as simple as that. They don't care about users.

 

[centauratlas]

I certainly don't trust the bureaucrats to control the tech particularly since they keep calling for back doors in encryption. Authoritarians like to control and want access to everything. And Google, Meta and others want it for their own nefarious purposes.

 

[mdriftmeyer]

The EU doesn't care that their 4 largest Telecom vendors are petitioning to force Apple to break their own secure protocol so they then can hack it and sell off information to third parties.

The State Department will be forced to get involved and those NATO members won't like the outcome.

 

[contacos]

I do miss that App with the bird on my Mac that let me communicate with people on iChat, MSN, ICQ and AIM within the same platform

 

[neuropsychguy]

Why not regulate Apple to make an Android version of iMessage? That way people who want to use it can use it and it can keep it more secure.

Edit: For those not understanding. I'm not saying the EU should do this, just that there are other options. Requiring interoperability is only one of many possible approaches (including doing nothing).

 

[xDKP]

I do miss that App with the bird on my Mac that let me communicate with people on iChat, MSN, ICQ and AIM within the same platform

Ahhhh ICQ - those were the days. Can still hear the Ohooh sound

 

[Alpha Centauri]

And once again the EU is trying to over regulate. All in the name of advocating for the "good" of consumers.

Note: I actually live in the EU

 

[n-evo]

I do miss that App with the bird on my Mac that let me communicate with people on iChat, MSN, ICQ and AIM within the same platform application.

Fixed that for you. 🙃 You still needed accounts for every platform and log in with them. Adium didn’t make it possible for MSN users to talk to someone on AIM, it just consolidated all supported services into one application. Often in a limited fashion. In the end it was still MSN talking to MSN, ICQ to ICQ, AIM to AIM, etc.

What they’re talking about doing here is opening up iMessage to be directly compatible with competing services such as WhatsApp and Google Chat. That’s what I gather from the article at least.

 

[bsbeamer]

Why not regulate Apple to make an Android version of iMessage? That way people who want to use it can use it and it can keep it more secure.

Much better solution to appease EU than some open standards style argument. Treat it like WhatsApp on iPhones. Do something with selling services and require iCloud subscription.

 

[infinitejest]

It's the adult version of Kindergarten.

 

[icanhazmac]

But, but, but, I thought no one in the EU uses iMessage.

Gotta love the EU, nothing will be special, it will all be gray, everything will be the same.

Have a better port? Tough 💩, use the one we mandate.
Have a better chat? Tough 💩, dumb it down so that Google and Telecoms can scrape your data.

 

[Ashwee]

I do miss that App with the bird on my Mac that let me communicate with people on iChat, MSN, ICQ and AIM within the same platform

Aah Adium. It's still available now https://adium.im/

 

[steve09090]

…and every other communication should be opened up for anyone to use. So much for intellectual property. Google can’t beat them so they try to legislate against Apple. Pathetic move.

 

[MLVC]

The State Department will be forced to get involved and those NATO members won't like the outcome.

I literally have no clue why you're dragging NATO into this. Nor why you think any EU country is shaking in their boots when the US State Department gets involved.

 

[Unregistered 4U]

When I go to Disneyland, I pay to be in a walled garden, pay premium for everything. But that is my choice. I do not need dreamworks and Warner Bros also in there..

Maybe EU Disney will be forced to host WB and Dreamworks, as Disney has a 100% monopoly on Disney land. That MUST be broken up.

Apple says, “Right after Google releases Google Messages for the iPhone.”

 

[mazz0]

The EU doesn't care that their 4 largest Telecom vendors are petitioning to force Apple to break their own secure protocol so they then can hack it and sell off information to third parties.

The State Department will be forced to get involved and those NATO members won't like the outcome.

Yeah, cos I'm sure the state department doesn't want its own backdoors in Apple products...

 

[Unregistered 4U]

The EU doesn't care that their 4 largest Telecom vendors are petitioning to force Apple to break their own secure protocol so they then can hack it and sell off information to third parties.

They could all just adopt RCS at the carrier if their telecoms were REALLY concerned about interoperability. That would eat into the telecoms’ bottom line, though, as they’d have to upgrade their systems. And, they’ve already shown that they just don’t care as, when given the opportunity previously, they rejected it.

 

[Wildkraut]

I do miss that App with the bird on my Mac that let me communicate with people on iChat, MSN, ICQ and AIM within the same platform

You might find enough birds flying over Tims head for a new App…

 

[JustSomebody12]

Those is ridiculous. They just have a better product and invested in the right technology at the right time.

When I go to Disneyland, I pay to be in a walled garden, pay premium for everything. But that is my choice. I do not need dreamworks and Warner Bros also in there..

I don't want to drift politically toward a commentary about the regulatory approach of the EU (and, by comparison, of the USA), but I think the main point here is that IM services and apps are used to communicate with OTHER PEOPLE; so, while I can use a note-taking app or a banking app nobody uses and have no drawback, with IM apps I am forced to use one everybody uses (otherwise I would be cut off from most people)...

 

[minimo3]

iMessage in its current form can’t be made interoperable because it relies on a private key burned into every apple devices’ Secure Enclave during manufacturing to decrypt the incoming message. If you have an iPhone and iPad and someone sends you an iMessage you are actually getting 2 separate messages each encrypted with a different public key. This hardware specific feature is only found on apple silicon.

There is a solution to comply however:

(A) disable iMessage for all apple devices sold in the EU
(B) disable end to end encryption for iMessage for EU devices. All messages sent to devices sold in the region are plain text. Then install a gateway to forward messages from other messaging systems into/out of iMessage ecosystem.

You know what is the biggest impediment to communication interoperability in the EU? The plethora of languages! They need to mandate that everyone in the union speaks a single language! /s 😆

 

[Wildkraut]

2024 will be a great year of openness for the Apple platform in the EU, but don’t worry, the US will follow…