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The United States Department of Justicefiled an antitrust lawsuitagainst Apple before today . The suit touches on several ( allegedly ) anticompetitive recitation . But one category in finical caught our attending as the DOJ spends quite a bit of time talking about “ dark-green bubble ” and “ down in the mouth bubbles . ”
When an iPhone user sends a message to another iPhone drug user , by nonremittal that content is sent using Apple ’s iMessage communications protocol . This communications protocol offers several advantages , such as destruction - to - goal encryption ( although iCloud backups are not code by nonremittal , but that ’s another story ) , read gross , typecast indicators and high - quality pic and video .
If an iPhone user texts an Android drug user — and vice versa — iOS falls back to the older , less secure but universal SMS communications protocol . Messages appear in green bubbles .
“ This effect is particularly powerful for certain demographics , like teenagers — where the iPhone ’s share is 85 percent , according to one survey , ” the DOJ spell in its lawsuit .
While this detachment in two category is mostly anecdotical , it becomes a bit more problematic once you start create mathematical group schmooze . Let ’s say everybody in your family has an iPhone . you may begin an iMessage radical and use it for your mob discussions .
But when it ’s meter to get a new phone , you either have to buy an iPhone again or secernate your family that they should all move to another message app that supports group chats , such as WhatsApp , Messenger , Telegram or Signal . That ’s because iMessage is only usable on the iPhone and other Apple devices .
In a 2013 email cite in the case , Apple ’s SVP of Software Engineering Craig Federighi said that iMessage on Android “ would just serve to remove [ an ] obstruction to iPhone family render their tike Android phones . ”
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“ Moving iMessage to Android will hurt us more than help us , ” former SVP of Worldwide Marketing Phil Schiller wrote in another electronic mail .
But the DOJ also feel like Apple is treating third - political party electronic messaging apps as 2nd - social class citizens . “ Apple make third - party electronic messaging apps on the iPhone worse by and large and relative to Apple Messages , Apple ’s own message app , ” the DOJ wrote in its lawsuit . For example , you ca n’t set another app as the default app to send and invite SMS messages .
“ As a result , third - party messaging apps can not combine the ‘ text to anyone ’ functionality of SMS with the forward-looking feature of OTT messaging . . . By dividing line , if an Apple Messages user wants to send somebody a subject matter , they just type their telephone number into the “ To : ” field and send the subject matter because Apple Messages integrate SMS and OTT messaging , ” the DOJ wrote .
At this point , you might think : Was n’t the RCS communications protocol supposed to level up MS messaging and relieve these pain point ? RCS support chemical group messaging for instance . The thing is , Apple has been dragging its feet when it come to RCS funding , say that it ’s not end - to - end encrypted by default .
While this is true , RCS is supposed to replace SMS , not iMessage . Moreover , Apple late announced that it would impart living for RCS . But that ’s because RCS will becomemandatory in China .
As WhatsApp and Signal have demonstrate , cross - platform ending - to - end encryption is potential at weighing machine . In fact , WhatsApp willbecome interoperable with other messaging appsdue to the Digital Markets Act ( DMA ) in the EU . WhatsApp plans to keep end - to - end encoding by leverage the Signal communications protocol with other message services .
It feel a bit rum that the DOJ is front - loading its antimonopoly lawsuit against Apple with the much peach about “ fleeceable house of cards ” vs. “ blue bubbles ” disputation as there are far more serious and substantive issues . But the combination of the DMA in Europe and today ’s Modern lawsuit is a clear sign that Apple ’s ecosystem is string the interest group of regulator around the world .
For more on Apple ’s antitrust lawsuit , check here :
