EU has decided: Apple may keep iMessage for itself
13/2/2024
Translation: machine translated
The implementation deadline for the Digital Markets Act expires on 6 March. The gatekeeper companies' "central platform services" must then fulfil all EU regulations. However, these obligations do not apply to Apple's iMessage, as the European Commission has now decided.
Apple can breathe a sigh of relief. The European Commission announced today that it does not classify Apple's chat platform "iMessage" as a "core platform service" within the meaning of the Digital Markets Act. So-called "core platform services" are services provided by particularly large companies, so-called "gatekeepers", which "(...) are essential for the operation of a digital business."
This categorisation is accompanied by a number of obligations that these services must fulfil. For example, the duty of interoperability. This would mean that you would also have to be able to send and receive messages to other messenger apps via iMessage - for example Signal or other Android chat apps. Until now, the latter has only been possible via the outdated SMS technology.
Apple obviously doesn't want this, as has been repeatedly demonstrated in the recent past. For example, the company "Beeper" has found a way to send and receive iMessages with the "Beeper Mini" app - Apple has then repeatedly closed such loopholes.
However, Apple recently introduced the RCS standard - probably also due to the threat of being categorised by the EU - so that messages can be exchanged with Android chat apps via the data network.
Why is iMessage not a central platform service?
The EU Commission wrote in its communication: "After a thorough assessment of all the arguments, taking into account articles from relevant stakeholders and after consulting the Digital Markets Advisory Committee, the Commission has concluded that iMessage (...) cannot be categorised as a gatekeeper service."
Apple was pleased with the assessment. Although it may well be that this decision is due to something that Apple may not be so pleased about. Namely, that iMessage is simply not important enough in Europe. Meta, or WhatsApp, for example, has to fulfil these requirements.
Microsoft also gets off lightly
Some Microsoft services also escape the designation as a central platform service on the same grounds as Apple. The EU Commission has decided that the Edge browser, the Bing search engine and Microsoft Advertising will also escape the chalice.
Source: Shutterstock
This means that LinkedIn is currently the only Redmond service that is categorised as a central platform service.
I've been tinkering with digital networks ever since I found out how to activate both telephone channels on the ISDN card for greater bandwidth. As for the analogue variety, I've been doing that since I learned to talk. Though Winterthur is my adoptive home city, my heart still bleeds red and blue.