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This is one area I totally support Apple in. If there is an exploit that is being used, that should be shut down.

I also agree that Apple shut open up iMessage with a proper SDK, but closing exploits is primary in security.
 
It’s quite notable these days that if someone describes something as “common sense” you can be assured it most definitely isn’t.
Yes, because cross-platform chat and installing software of your choosing are niche and far-from sensical solutions. Pardon my ignorance.
 
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Correct me if I am wrong, but aren't most of you on here extremely happy with this? I would presume many of you want nothing to do with Android, and want Apple to be the only guy on the block?
You're wrong, except that we don't want anything to do with Android, if we did, we would buy it!
We're just pro choice when buying devises.
If all devises are the same because of regulations, is that good for the consumers? What would be the point of R&D?
There is nothing on an Android that I want, if I did I would buy it.
Real competition creates innovations and innovation moves the world forward!
 
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It not so much the color of the bubbles, it's the functionality associated with them. A green text bubble on an iPhone says nothing about delivery, read status, having the ability to cancel the message if desired, plus dozens of other niceties we iPhone users have come to use with iMessage. Oh, and security.
I know. That’s why the entire world moved on to WhatsApp, Messenger, Telegram, Signal, … Except the US. And that’s what I don’t get: if you don’t like the way an app works, move on.
 
Yes, because cross-platform chat and installing software of your choosing is niche and far from sensical solutions. Pardon my ignorance.

They are not common-sense still: there are good arguments for both but they need to be articulated.

The EU did articulate many reasons for their interoperability rules and they do apply in some cases, but not the opening of iMessage to third-parties.

Interoperability through the implementation of RCS is coming and is more than enough without Apple having to open iMessage.
 
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People who want services like this are overly fixated on the whole “blue bubble” thing and I feel like they are kinda entirely missing the point
As a iPhone user, who has android family members, it’s more about how SMS is terrible for group chats, especially with large family, and low resolution photos and videos.

I hope RCS will fix that, but that is still a hope and hasn’t seen the light of day yet. Apple could have adopted RCS years ago to avoid this whole issue, and improve messaging for its own users, but it chose not to.

It’s not the color of bubble people are concerned about, it’s the capabilities that people want.
 
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Obviously they do have the right to close off their services for non-Apple devices. But as a result, iMessage is a huge failure in most countries outside the US. They did make the huge strategic error back in the day not to open iMessage and Facetime up to the world. Having the largest global messaging platform could also have counted for something. Could easily outweigh the server costs. But it's too little, too late.
Your point falls apart as soon as you look at Apples worth.
I'm in the UK and I use iMessage to communicate with real friends & family all the time, and WhatsApp with non Apple users, that way I can keep them separate, I have no need or wish to change that 😊
 
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you are actively avoiding the point
There is no point to be avoided. If you don’t like the way the apple ecosystem works then find another smartphone ecosystem that suits your requirements.

Or to say this more generally for those looking to purchase consumer lifestyle products buy the product that works best for you. That’s the point.
 
WhatsApp exchanges 100 billion messages daily and generated revenue of $906 million in 2022.
iMessage doesn't sell user data to third parties for advertising or anything else it's USP is privacy & security, all these other apps are made for making profit out of advertising, which is why Apple wants nothing to do with them, which is why if RCS happens, it won't be on Googles server!
 
It is a security weakness and now well publicized. They would be incompetent not to plug this. How can you know this?
The security breach is that you can connect to it using fake Apple device ID's. It does not allow anyone to hack your account, it does not invade your privacy, it does not allow anyone to read your messages, it doesn't do any of that. All it does is defeat the mechanism that Apple uses to determine that it is a genuine Apple device that isn't virtualised. That's it.

The only thing that got hacked here was a DRM mechanism.

The reason I know about this exploit is that we have been generating and faking Apple device ID's on Hackintoshes for years. When you first install it you can't connect to iMessage, but through some ID generation and clever tricks you can generate a key that is valid - kind of like hacking a CD-Key - and then it does.

The only new thing here is that someone implemented Apple's API so it could be used after authentication, just like you can use MusicKit after authenticating on 3rd party devices.

The only reason is it was threatening their bottom line - someone made an app that worked with a ton of messaging protocols, theirs included, which was like totally their turf or something. That's it. In fact, if this is a hack, so is macOS, because macOS is based on a reverse-engineering effort of UNIX that was created by Bell Labs and AT&T.

The whole thing is BS. I'm not buying it.

Now I realise I've been saying "we" a lot in this thread, and the reason I did is that I hackintoshed because Apple spent the better part of half a decade making awful devices. Overpriced, loud, overheating, bad keyboards, outdated, you name it, they failed at it. They were making some pretty good phones still but the Mac was in a dire situation. As soon as they switched to Apple Silicon they not only fixed the problems that were Intel's fault, like the overheating and security issues, but also things that were their own, such as it being too thin and the keyboard being junk, and they put on a much better display and the GPU's are way better especially in the laptop, etc.

So now I'm on an M3 Max and loving it - but this doesn't change my mind. iMessage is forcing a lot of people to use 1980's technology because their parents and grandparents look at "messages" app and start using it simply because it's called messages and they think they're using SMS, and then as soon as you switch away from Apple they complain.

All the continuity stuff I'm fine with.
 
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Your point falls apart as soon as you look at Apples worth.
I'm in the UK and I use iMessage to communicate with real friends & family all the time, and WhatsApp with non Apple users, that way I can keep them separate, I have no need or wish to change that 😊
My point doesn’t fall apart at all. You’re claiming that because Apples worth is huge, they made zero mistakes in the past. Obviously that’s absurd.
 
This reaction by Apple was predictable. Almost the exact wording was predicted.
Beeper used Apples iMessage service exactly the way it was intended to be used. What they are basically admitting here is that they found a flaw in their design and changed it.
Now it’s up to Apple to close the gap and end discrimination against users who can not use iMessage because Apple decided to do so. They could easily release iMessage for Android.
 
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They are sending request to someone else's servers according to how those servers are supposed to be interacted with and the servers are complying with the requests. There is nothing illegal in that.



Well, they publicly stated they are open to such a collaboration but Apple definitely is not, so I doubt such collaboration will ever happen...

If Apple believes the access was illegal they would sue without question, but note that interestingly Apple in their own statement never claimed the access was illegal.
Ok, so they figured out a way to exploit someone's else's servers for a quick buck and the owner patched the exploit. Can we move on then? Is it really necessary to keep on with this? It's clear Beeper CEO has an agenda.
 
People who want services like this are overly fixated on the whole “blue bubble” thing and I feel like they are kinda entirely missing the point
For us grown ups the “blue bubble” thing doesn’t matter very much. For teenagers it’s a horrible thing. The discrimination that results from not being able to communicate with a blue bubble is rampant, Apple knows is and they do nothing against it.
 
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How is this monopolistic and anti-competitive?

A monopoly is defined as market with a single supplier. Here we are talking about a market (messaging) with multiple options (iMessage, Android, SMS, WhatsApp, Signal, etc.) from multiple suppliers. This is the definition of a competitive market. The fact that consumers choose one supplier at a higher rate does not make that supplier a monopoly — that is the market choising a winner.

Anti-competitive practices are practices that prevent or reduce competition in a market or that harm smaller competitors, new entrants or consumers. Apple created a strong feature set (including privacy capabilities) that made iMessage a popular alternative for consumers in the messaging market. Beeper did not provide a new messaging alternative to iMessage, Android, SMS or others — it simply exploited a vulnerability in iMessage to provide an app that bridges iMessage and Android. As such, Beeper is not a competitive messaging service, a new entrant or smaller rival in the messaging market.

Apple’s actions were neither monopolistic nor anti-competitive — they simply eliminated a security vulnerability (spoofing) that was being exploited by Beeper. The fact that this vulnerability existed and was previously exploited does not change the fact that it was a vulnerability and does not preclude Apple from eliminating it now.
Your entire argument is built on sand. iMessage is a single supplier in that Apple intentionally decided not to offer an Adrioid iMessage app (even though Eddie Cue wanted to in 2013) because it was afraid of losing market share in doing so. They knew more people would buy Android phones if they made iMessage cross platform, so the idea was dead on arrival. They know iMessage is leads to ‘lock in’, so they did everything they can to make sure the Android app never saw the light of day. This is the very definition of monopolistic and anti-competitive behavior.

What’s worse, Apple has stubbornly refused to adopt RCS for the last ten years, so even iPhone users have a less secure, less feature rich messaging experience when chatting with Android users. They’re still defaulting to an SMS/MMS protocol that’s thirty years old. Rumors are they are rolling it out next year, but I wouldn’t hold my breath.

And yeah, technically anyone can use other messaging apps, but it being the default on the OS makes it ‘sticky’ (remember when Microsoft was sued for Monopolistic practices for bundling Internet Explorer and setting it as the default in Windows?)

Also, iOS (and sadly as a result, iMessage) is only dominant in the US. Everyone else in the world overwhelmingly uses Android and other messaging platforms. The reason why it’s so popular here is because we’re a wealthy nation where far more people can afford premium hardware relative to other counties.

For the record, I’ve had an iPhone since it launched it 2007 and have tons of Apple products, but I call balls and strikes. I’m sick of having sub standard texting to my Android friends and family because Apple simply refuses to deploy and Android app or even offer RCS backhaul as a consolation prize - all so it can retain market share and strong-arm more people into buying iPhones.
 
This reaction by Apple was predictable. Almost the exact wording was predicted.
Beeper used Apples iMessage service exactly the way it was intended to be used. What they are basically admitting here is that they found a flaw in their design and changed it.
Now it’s up to Apple to close the gap and end discrimination against users who can not use iMessage because Apple decided to do so. They could easily release iMessage for Android.
What discrimination? It's a service offered to its users, you know.. a business?? If these users want access to this proprietary IP it's simple, buy an iPhone? If Apple prevents prior android owners from buying an iPhone, then yes, its discrimination, but clearly they have made the product available for purchase to anyone just like any other business. Why should Apple offer iMessage as a service on a competitor's platform?
 
Ok, so they figured out a way to exploit someone's else's servers for a quick buck and the owner patched the exploit.
Yes, they patched a DRM breach. I just want to make this clear: It's a DRM breach, there was no chance that your personal information was going to be compromised. It logged in through legitimate means and used the protocol as intended. The only difference is that it circumvented the hardware ID check, which is Apple's check that you bought an Apple device.

If you think that's fair, that's cool. But if you're one of the many people who are irritated that iMessage is locked down, you might take a different view.
Can we move on then? Is it really necessary to keep on with this? It's clear Beeper CEO has an agenda.
The agenda is to make sure people can use whichever messaging protocol they want and have it all collected in one place instead of a hundred apps - and they have open sourced said technology to make sure that others can make whichever app they want for the same purpose. That's it. I don't see how that's an evil goal. Do you also think Matrix.org is evil?

In fact, I just remembered that iChat did this!!

iChat could serve as a client for AOL Instant Messenger, Yahoo! Messenger, MobileMe, ICQ and XMPP. iChat could also integrate Google Talk contacts into the XMPP panel.

Is Apple evil? I mean... probably, but I'm trying to catch you out here.
 
Ok, so they figured out a way to exploit someone's else's servers for a quick buck and the owner patched the exploit. Can we move on then? Is it really necessary to keep on with this? It's clear Beeper CEO has an agenda.

You should ask Beeper. As far as I understand they have a working fix for whatever Apple blocked.
 
Yes, they patched a DRM breach. I just want to make this clear: It's a DRM breach, there was no chance that your personal information was going to be compromised. It logged in through legitimate means and used the protocol as intended. The only difference is that it circumvented the hardware ID check, which is Apple's check that you bought an Apple device.

About DRM, let's not forget that the DMCA explicitly allows reverse-engineering for the purpose of achieving interoperability.
 
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We care about the fact that our iPhones does not allow us to send secure messages to people not using Apple products.
What are you on about?

Your iPhone allows you to install everything from Signal to Telegram and everything in between. Hell, you could even install whatever Google’s latest name for their messaging service is.

The App Store is literally there for you to get apps and services that Apple doesn’t provide by default.

All of those options allow you to send messages to people that don’t use Apple devices, secure or otherwise, so that can't be what you care about.

Which leaves me wondering, what it truly is that you want.
 
About DRM, let's not forget that the DMCA explicitly allows reverse-engineering for the purpose of achieving interoperability.
Yes, because if they didn't Apple would literally have to close because they'd be in copyright violation with every single device they've sold that isn't a peripheral since 2010 or so, where they discontinued the iPod Classic.

EVERY Mac device would be in violation. Every iPhone, every iPad, every Apple Watch. Apple would literally have their revenue drop to near 0 overnight.

And yet I have to listen to this "Don't reverse engineer it's immoral" BS in here. I have no words for the stupidity on display.
 
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