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Apple's iMessage Avoids EU's Digital Markets Act Regulation
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The absolute very last thing the world needs from government regulators with publicly stated designs on subverting private communications is alphabet agencies having any hand in any of it. That toothpaste won’t ever go back in the tube, so my advice for people championing this kind of interference is to think long and hard about what it actually is that you’re unwittingly wishing for.
I can't see people moving from WhatsApp even with RCS support in iOS. It's just too embedded and ingrained on society now and the hassle of moving all your chats and groups across just won't be worth it. For the average person, WhatsApp is free, most people they know are using it and it fulfills their needs - why move?
Ironically Apple's software on non-Apple platforms is notoriously awful (particularly their Windows software, I haven't had the chance to use the Apple Music for Android app to see if it's any good).
Unlike some years ago, I see lots of people with iPhones in Italy, lately, and yet almost no one uses iMessage.
Not even Signal...here it's whatsapp land.
I wish I could live without whatsapp, but that's impossible.
That's a good point. I guess I should read the full requirements of the Act to see what other obligations there might be. I suspect there will be requirements to open up the iMessage API, but I don't know.
Isn't iMessage activated by default as soon as you login with an AppleID on an "iDevice"?
Strange that “music” is missing? I’d think with the command of the market that Spotify has, the EU would want to make sure… OHHHHH, because Spotify is an EU company. Basically, “gatekeeper” is “non-EU company”.huh? WhatsApp is already falling under the Digital Markets Act regulation
Strange that “music” is missing? I’d think with the command of the market that Spotify has, the EU would want to make sure… OHHHHH, because Spotify is an EU company. Basically, “gatekeeper” is “non-EU company”.
I asked ChatGPT
While music streaming services like Spotify do operate in the digital space, they may not necessarily meet the criteria to be classified as gatekeepers under the DMA. Gatekeepers are typically characterized by their significant market power, which can be determined based on factors such as their market share, user base, and control over access to important digital services.
While Spotify is a major player in the music streaming industry, it may not have the same level of dominance or control over access to digital markets as some of the other companies targeted by the DMA, such as large tech platforms like Google, Amazon, Facebook (Meta), and Apple.
That said, regulations and legislation surrounding digital markets are constantly evolving, and there may be future updates or amendments to the DMA or other regulatory frameworks that could impact companies like Spotify.
WhatsApp does far more than messaging now. There are some countries that have baked support for it in at the government and commerce level. Folks that are tied to that are still going to use it. The only way WhatsApp will see a significant decline would be if it were to just suddenly not exist.
Right, gatekeepers, a designation made up by the EU, drafted into law by the EU doesn’t affect large EU companies. Not surprising.
That's a bit of hyperbole, but I am glad the EU refrained from dictating to Apple what their products should be.
To be honest, the EU regulates everything to death locally, so those "local" businesses hardly even get the chance to grow big enough to be a potential market leader. Sad but true.
At this point I am almost surprised online shopping is not forbidden from taking orders on Sundays since this is an advantage over local stores, which are not allowed to be open on Sundays
Not surprising to hear. Outside the US, popularity of iMessage is low.
Why? I don’t know any business using iMessage in Europe.
Yes, but the far more important metric is Spotify is > 0% a European based company.
Apple’s App Store can only be used by around 40% of the phones in the EU, BUT because it’s not a European based company, it gets designated a “gatekeeper”.And, it’s very likely true that, of that 40% market share, not ALL of those phones can actually access the current App Store due to being out of date. So, the market share of phones that can even use the current App Store is even lower than that.
And those of us who use iMessage for personal contacts are much the happier for it.
I live in an EU country. Shops are open on Sunday if that is their decision.To be honest, the EU regulates everything to death locally, so those "local" businesses hardly even get the chance to grow big enough to be a potential market leader. Sad but true.
At this point I am almost surprised online shopping is not forbidden from taking orders on Sundays since this is an advantage over local stores, which are not allowed to be open on Sundays
What are you talking about?
Most business BS actually ends on iMessage because it's SMSs.
Yes, but the first app many install is WhatsApp. When looking at data transferring over the internet, one can see which packets are for which service and few ever send a message over Apple’s servers.
Everyone keeps repeating this mantra that Apple messages doesn’t interoperate with Android. Since day 1 they’ve supported SMS. You can send & receive messages with Android users perfectly fine. Sure Apple’s own protocol iMessage doesn’t support Android because it uses PKI encryption and the private decryption key is stored in the Secure Enclave hardware component on the A-series SoC for each device. Your faceID/touchID/passcode unlocks access to the Secure Enclave and the private key to view iMessages. How would an Android device decrypt the iMessage without this hardware? Please explain.