Apple just won an exemption from EU rules that would require fundamental changes, just as WhatsApp is about to do. And while this rule change was targeted at EU users, it would have affected everyone around the world.
Big changes are underway, with the EU’s Digital Markets Act coming into force in March. This includes requirements for iPhones in the EU to access third-party app marketplaces, alternative browser engines, and more.
These changes were made because Apple is considered the gatekeeper for these features. EU I will explain it like this: “Companies that operate one or more ‘core platform services’ listed on the DMA qualify as gatekeepers if they meet the requirements.” This includes providing scale, control of gateways for business users, or “established services.” and a durable position. ”
The EU decided on Tuesday, February 13, that iMessage, along with Microsoft’s Bing search engine, does not meet these standards.
According to reports bloombergApple avoided enforcement in this way because “our investigation concluded that the service in question does not have a dominant enough position to be regulated under EU digital market law.” be.
Otherwise, Apple would have had to adapt its services to meet its obligations “aimed at limiting abuses of market power.”
But if Apple were able to restrict the app marketplace changes to iPhone users in the EU, creating two different versions of iMessage would have been even more complicated.
The solution for WhatsApp is to allow other messaging services into the system, such as Telegram, Signal, and possibly iMessage. This will ensure that no matter what service someone sends you a message, you will receive it on WhatsApp.
As you know, the debate between blue message bubbles and green message bubbles is heated. Messages sent by Android users appear as green messages on an iPhone, unlike the blue bubbles that land when a message arrives from another iPhone. Blue foam is considered superior and Apple is happy with it.
Opening iMessage the way WhatsApp does was probably Apple’s least favorite choice. It’s especially important that the great features that iMessage offers, from real-time input indicators to spectacular visual effects like fireworks and confetti, captivate users and encourage them to stay true to the only place they can find them: iPhone. This is because it may help to persuade
The situation would have been different if the EU’s decision had gone in a different direction. As Bloomberg explains, “Under the law, it would be illegal for designated companies to prioritize their own services over those of competitors.”
Apple has had to be careful in applying EU rules to avoid infringing on existing services. But offering his one version of iMessage for the EU and another for the rest of the world would likely prove extremely difficult.
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