Google Asks Regulators to Liberate Apple's Blue Text Bubbles

Financial Times Wednesday. The EU Commission said Apple is gatekeeping iMessage in September, and Google’s letter unnecessarily chimes in to say “we agree.”

WatchGoogle’s Antitrust Case Is the Best Thing That Ever Happened to AI CCShare SubtitlesOffEnglishApple’s iconic blue text bubbles over iMessage are a key factor in retaining customer loyalty. In 2019, Samsung launched an anti-bullying campaign of GIFs to combat kids who were AdvertisementThe Digital Markets Act defines gatekeepers as “large online platforms that provide an important gateway between business users and consumers, whose position can grant them the power to create a bottleneck in the digital economy.” Google’s letter says that’s the “fundamental nature” of iMessage.AdvertisementWhile Google chimed in on Apple’s anticompetitive practices, it’s also under the regulators’ magnifying glass. The Digital Markets Act designates Google Play, Google Maps, Chrome and more services as gatekeepers as well. The search giant also faces its own platter of The EU Commission confirmed receiving the letter but declined to comment further.AdvertisementGoogle and Apple did not immediately respond to Gizmodo’s request for comment.Apple has previously stated, however, that iMessage does not constitute an important gateway “due to its small scale relative to other messaging services.” The number of iMessage users was estimated to be 1.3 billion in 2022, whereas WhatsApp had 2.4 billion users in the same year.Advertisement“Consumers today have access to a wide variety of messaging apps, and often use many at once, which reflects how easy it is to switch between them,” said Apple in the same statement. “Consumers today have access to a wide variety of messaging apps, and often use many at once, which reflects how easy it is to switch between them.”The commission has until February to reach a decision on the matter.

Based on reporting by gizmodo.com.