Google writes to regulators with the hope that they will force Apple to support RCS،
You may remember that last year Google launched a campaign to pressure Apple into supporting Rich Communication Services (RCS), a messaging platform for Android that includes many of the same features that iMessage offers iPhone users, such as longer messages, high-quality photos. and videos, read receipts, keystroke indicator, end-to-end encryption, etc. Like iMessage, once a non-RCS user joins a group chat, all of these features disappear.
Google pointed out that iPhone users are stuck watching low-quality photos and videos from Android users and that will immediately change once Apple agrees to support RCS on iMessage. Additionally, all the cool features listed above would still work whenever an RCS user sends a message to an iPhone user using iMessage.
The reason Apple has turned a deaf ear to
Google’s demands so far is that the Cupertino tech giant believes iMessage remains a huge selling point for the iPhone and that adding RCS support could reduce the problem. the appeal of Apple’s messaging
app, thereby reducing iPhone sales. It is therefore clear that the only way for Apple to support RCS is to be forced to do so by regulators. This almost happened earlier this year when the EU’s Digital Markets Act (DMA) could have forced Apple to support RCS in its 27 member countries.
For this to happen, the EU would have had to designate iMessage as a “gatekeeper,” meaning it would need 45 million monthly users in the EU, which was not the case. As a result, Apple, at least for now, is not required to add RCS support to iMessage in the EU. “Gatekeeper” designations have been given to the Apple App Store, Safari browser, and iOS. Google Maps, Google Play, Google Shopping, Chrome, Android, YouTube, Google Search and Google Ads were among the other services the EU assigned the title of “gatekeeper”.
The EU said it would make its final decision in February on whether iMessage should be considered a “gatekeeper” and required to support RCS. Meanwhile, Google is trying to persuade the EU to list iMessage as a “core platform service” under the DMA.
A letter read by
The Financial Times and signed by an anonymous senior vice president of Google along with the CEOs of Vodafone, Deutsche Telekom, Telefónica and Orange, reportedly said: “Through iMessage, business users can only send rich messages to iOS users and must rely on traditional SMS for all other end users.” Because iMessage is a gateway between businesses and customers, this undoubtedly justifies Apple’s designation as the gatekeeper of its iMessage service. The letter was sent to the Internal Market Commissioner, Thierry Breton.
Apple guided The Financial Times to a comment that says: “Consumers today have access to a wide variety of messaging apps and often use several at once, reflecting the ease with which it is possible to switch between them. Apple also said, “iMessage is designed and marketed for consumers’ personal communications, and we look forward to explaining to the commission why iMessage is outside the scope of the DMA.” »
If Google wins its case, Apple could limit the scope of the EU decision by limiting RCS support in iMessage to the 27 EU member countries.
