Google and major European carriers ask the EU to make iMessage a core platform service

08 November 2023
So that Apple will be forced to make iMessage play nice with other RCS.

Sort by:

  • L
  • Lilian
  • 3cc
  • 09 Nov 2023

I've never heard in Europe of people discriminating against the "green bubble". It's a thing with US customers, not really a problem outside

    • R
    • Read This
    • gDe
    • 09 Nov 2023

    Anonymous, 08 Nov 2023Wow 😳 majority of Apple haters here support what Google did... moreI guess a lot of apple fanboys get it extremely wrong because they aren't educated on the topic. EU is not trying to force Google's tech down people's throat. No. EU wants iMessage to be compatible with other messaging apps like for example Signal. This is done to break Monopoly and Duopoly caused by network effect while also providing the comfort that each user can use the messaging services of their choice. Now RCS wasn't developed by Google, but they sure adopted and further revolutionized it. If Apple would have developed or supported a working solution for the interoperability, I think that would have been considered by EU too. However, Apple was only interested in making profits through bullying non-Apple users to adopt Apple tech (read Blue Bubble Green Bubble issue). Someone here was arguing that interoperability already exists. Wrong. Non-apple users can't send apple users any high quality photo or video unless both parties use the same third party messaging service. That would otherwise be pixelated and showed in green bubble on iMessages (unencrypted).
    What will change in future:
    All major messaging platforms like WhatsApp, Telegram, iMessages, FB Messenger have to adopt some or the other tech to support interoperability with each other or other minor players. So if I message an apple user by using Signal, it should be shown to him on iMessages and it should be end-to-end encrypted as well as high quality without any disadvantages. The world is much better if we all can choose what we want. If you have to choose Apple only because of the fear of green bubble, or a status symbol, or the fake idea of privacy, then who is the real sheep? Apple was made so user friendly that the dumbest people can use it. So does that mean only dumb people use iPhone? No, a phone is a phone. At the end of the day, the tech companies should serve us, not the other way around. Also, Google phones despite its bugs are a thousand miles ahead of the competition with Apple, this is for the uneducated fanboys amongst you. It has state of the art AI embedded in all needed apps, that I hope is the future of Humans. Wtf is even Siri, a half baked AI without training.

      • A
      • Anonymous
      • nId
      • 09 Nov 2023

      Wont affect me I just use whats app mostly but well done EU for making Apple do changes recently from USB type C to this. Keep it up

        • M
        • Minu
        • ter
        • 09 Nov 2023

        keklivesmatter, 08 Nov 2023Agreed! Apple is a HARDWARE company and Google is an ADVER... moreCorrection: Apple is a company for OS and ecosystem, not hardware

          • B
          • Boo
          • tZ0
          • 09 Nov 2023

          keklivesmatter, 08 Nov 2023Agreed! Apple is a HARDWARE company and Google is an ADVER... moreYeah 'hardware' company when most of their hardware are from other companies lmao

            keklivesmatter, 08 Nov 2023The part that they don't tell you is that Vanilla Andr... moreExactly.

            The actual RCS is dependent on carrier, like regular SMS, and is not encrypted, again like regular SMS. It was basically a modernized SMS. The RCS that everyone is talking is actually Google’s version, and it connects to Google server and requires Google Messages app. The only OEM that put RCS support on their stock SMS app is Samsung. The rest of the OEMs don’t support it, unless they use Google Messages as their SMS app.

            I do hope with this, Apple would be incentivized to make iMessage app for Android.

              • K
              • K
              • D09
              • 09 Nov 2023

              This is good for the people. This will make apple give more prominence to bing too as a search engine on its devices as retaliation. Increased competition will make google search a better search engine. That will be good for the people too. Yay!

                • ?
                • Anonymous
                • CbI
                • 09 Nov 2023

                Isnt RCS e2e encrypted

                  • i
                  • iDK
                  • ks}
                  • 09 Nov 2023

                  Anonymous, 08 Nov 2023Dont use it if you dont like it. Use Googles rubbish spywareRCS has end-to-end encryption. With end-to-end encryption, no one can read the content sent between you and the other person. SMS can be viewed by gov/carrier or anybody that can intercept it.

                    • A
                    • Aj
                    • rRU
                    • 09 Nov 2023

                    This is the problem with centralization. It is a one stop shop for corporations. EU should be disbanded and replaced by a single trade block, in its current form, it is way too powerful and corrupt.

                      • B
                      • Bam
                      • HXc
                      • 08 Nov 2023

                      Anonymous, 08 Nov 2023Dont use it if you dont like it. Use Googles rubbish spywareIsnt life better we we have the freedom to choose which phone we prefer to use. Why then should android platforms be punished for not choosing apple.

                        • ?
                        • Anonymous
                        • XP$
                        • 08 Nov 2023

                        Solun1, 08 Nov 2023Overregulation. Juat stop it already or it will turns again... moreAh, anarchy enjoyer. Companies being regulated is a good thing, you arent their lobbist or their paid spokesmen. They don't need you to argue for them. A government that doesnt let things grow into corporate hellscape like south korea is a good thing. Please realise Corporatocracy, is fundamentally the worst possible thing to have in a captialistic society.

                          iAmNo0ne, 08 Nov 2023Yeah I have beeper setup. It’s a really good option. The on... moreMatrix 2.0 protocol is making that look like a possibility so here's hoping!

                            Dometalican, 08 Nov 2023Ever try the Beeper service? Since you'd have an iOS n... moreYeah I have beeper setup. It’s a really good option. The one thing I’m hoping they can somehow bring in the future is FaceTime. If Beeper can do that, I’d likely stick with Android.

                              Overregulation. Juat stop it already or it will turns against us all. It's already happening. You'd only support this approach if you wants laws created by others to govern your whole life.

                                iAmNo0ne, 08 Nov 2023It's not about being good or bad, it's about conv... moreEver try the Beeper service? Since you'd have an iOS number, you could technically run iMessage on your android device with it.

                                  • ?
                                  • Anonymous
                                  • 4BT
                                  • 08 Nov 2023

                                  Apple hater gone to far

                                    Baldilocks73, 08 Nov 2023No, while iMessage is great, the thing keeping most people ... moreAgreed!
                                    Apple is a HARDWARE company and Google is an ADVERTISEMENT selling company. Its easy to see why iPhones and iMessage is so popular.

                                      google messenger ... wonder when will google kill it :D

                                        Though it is 'end-to-end encrypted' as they claimed, everything ended up on the Google server somewhere.

                                        If anyone is interested in seeing the transparency report, you can sort it by country. You can also see that the percentage of requests where some information is disclosed is quite high if the request came at the behest of the US government. Google will comply.

                                        https://transparencyreport.google.com/user-data/overview

                                          2 of 5