New EU rules would force Apple to open up iMessage
European Union regulators have amended the Digital Markets Act to include new provisions that would compel Apple to make iMessage accessible.
iMessage might get forced open
The European Council approved the Act in July 2022, a year after it was proposed. It enters into force on May 2, 2023.
The Digital Markets Act contains many restrictions to prevent major tech firms like Apple, Amazon, Facebook, and Google from engaging in anticompetitive activities. For instance, the lawmakers want Apple to allow iPhone users to download apps from outside of the App Store.
The EU is also going after Apple to let third-party iOS browsers use their own rendering engines, as the tech giant currently requires developers to use its WebKit engine from Safari.
The European Parliament and Council still need to approve this aspect of the legislation with lawyers, and then in a final vote. Passage is likely.
The result would be allowing users to exchange messages, send files or make video calls across messaging apps. While this is possible through SMS texting, Apple's iMessage service only works on Apple devices.
It's why Apple users might sometimes see green bubbles in the Messages app to denote an SMS text. The iMessage service is a significant reason for the iPhone's popularity among young people in the US, for example.
Apple knows that the exclusivity of iMessage is a significant selling point for the iPhone and has avoided bringing it to Android as a possible reason.
The changes might not be limited to Europe, either. Other countries sometimes follow suit with similar legislation, and it's often easier for companies to apply the changes worldwide.
Read on AppleInsider
iMessage might get forced open
The European Council approved the Act in July 2022, a year after it was proposed. It enters into force on May 2, 2023.
The Digital Markets Act contains many restrictions to prevent major tech firms like Apple, Amazon, Facebook, and Google from engaging in anticompetitive activities. For instance, the lawmakers want Apple to allow iPhone users to download apps from outside of the App Store.
The EU is also going after Apple to let third-party iOS browsers use their own rendering engines, as the tech giant currently requires developers to use its WebKit engine from Safari.
The European Parliament and Council still need to approve this aspect of the legislation with lawyers, and then in a final vote. Passage is likely.
Messaging provisions
The most extensive messaging services, such as iMessage, Facebook Messenger, and WhatsApp, will have to open up and interoperate with smaller messaging platforms.The result would be allowing users to exchange messages, send files or make video calls across messaging apps. While this is possible through SMS texting, Apple's iMessage service only works on Apple devices.
It's why Apple users might sometimes see green bubbles in the Messages app to denote an SMS text. The iMessage service is a significant reason for the iPhone's popularity among young people in the US, for example.
Apple knows that the exclusivity of iMessage is a significant selling point for the iPhone and has avoided bringing it to Android as a possible reason.
The changes might not be limited to Europe, either. Other countries sometimes follow suit with similar legislation, and it's often easier for companies to apply the changes worldwide.
Read on AppleInsider
Comments
Its liking saying to UPS, here is a fedex package, deliver it.
Same thing happens with SMS.
Dame thing happens with email.
The DSA is basically looking for interoperability as an end goal.
At the very least, there would be an indication of the source / type of those messages so they can be deleted before opening.
When I send a package to my parents using Correos Express, there is no 'lowest common denominator' on the delivery side in the other country even if Correos Express doesn't deliver it.
SMS is what it is (old) because when it was created that is what was available. The same with POP3 email etc.
There is virtually no analogue phone service in Spain. It is VoIP. Quality ultimately depends on many factors. The same with any realtime video/audio transmission. Including FaceTime.
FaceTime to FaceTime quality is irrelevant here. As is MeeTime to MeeTime quality. Or any other native protocol.
SMS is an an example of interoperability. Messages using SMS as a fallback option definitely does not mean interoperability.
Does that mean interoperability is impossible?
Of course not.
This is misleading and false. SMS is provided by the mobile carrier network, with endpoints (users) defined by a phone number. Multiple messaging apps can not interoperate using SMS.
The rest of the apps mentioned are "internet messaging" apps that technically could interoperate, but that would require that each service adhere to a common technical specification for exchanging messages. And users would need to be defined by the app/network that they are connected to.
userABC@facebook.com <---> userXYZ@imessage.com
Today, we often register with a service by our email address "joe@internet.com", and that is unique -within- each service. Do we now need to append on the service name?
joe@internet.com@facebook.com ??
joe@internet.com@imessage.com ??
Getting ugly, quick.
I suspect that Apple would lose some sales if they simply said they wouldn't support this and stopped selling iPhones in the EU, but I bet people would find still find a way to buy them there - black market, mail order, or having a friend pick one up while on vacation in the USA.
If you've read about what is coming out in Great Britain about the use of WhatsApp by government officials it is quite an eye-opener. I'd be amazed if the same sort of thing wasn't happening in the EU. (They literally laughed at you)
https://www.wired.com/story/dma-interoperability-messaging-imessage-whatsapp/
The only way to provide end to end encryption between all messaging services (that wants to provide it) and to have true interoperability, is to have all of them use the same encryption protocol. A protocol that I bet the EU government will have the key to.
The EU are idiots of the highest levels.
One of the few things I appreciated about the prior US administration- but at least they stood up for the US companies and interests.