Google and EU Telecom Companies Urge Regulators to Classify Apple's iMessage as a 'Core Platform Service' under Digital Markets Act

EU's Digital Markets Act legislation could make iMessage interoperable with other phone operating systems and messaging apps like Google's Android, boosting competition and user choice.

Google and several European telecom companies are urging regulators to classify Apple's iMessage as a 'core platform service' under the EU's Digital Markets Act. This would necessitate Apple to make iMessage compatible with other phones and messaging platforms.
If iMessage is designated as a 'core platform service', Apple would have to make the service interoperable with other phone systems like Google's Android. This change could eliminate the differentiation of iPhone and non-iPhone users through 'green text bubbles'.
The DMA identifies gatekeepers as large online platforms that provide crucial links between businesses and consumers, whose status can create a bottleneck in the digital economy. Google and the telecom companies argue that iMessage meets this criterion as it serves as an important gateway between business users and their customers.
A group of Google, Orange, Vodafone, Telefonica, and Deutsche Telekom executives have written to the European Commission, arguing for the designation of iMessage as a core platform service. They contend that enriched messaging is currently only available to Apple users, highlighting the need for interoperability.
Apple has contested the argument, saying that 'iMessage is designed and marketed for personal consumer communications'. The company claims that consumers have access to a variety of messaging apps and can easily switch between them, implying that its service is not crucial to the digital market as claimed.
The European Commission is currently investigating the matter and is set to decide on whether Apple’s iMessage qualifies as a gatekeeper by February 2024. If iMessage is classified as such, it could be subject to interoperability rules, compelling Apple to make the service compatible with other platforms.