Google has gathered support from major European operators to send a letter to the European Commission, asking it to designate Apple’s iMessage as a “core platform service.” This would force Apple to make iMessage compatible with RCS like WhatsApp and Google Messages by March 2024.
For a Financial Times Google, Vodafone, Deutsch Telekom, Telefónica and Orange are behind the request.
Here’s some background on the issue. In August, the EU came into force with the Digital Markets Act (DMA) to ensure a higher level of competition in the EU digital market by regulating the power of larger companies. The regulation refers to large entities as gatekeepers: large digital platforms with over 45 million active users in the EU and €7.5 billion in annual revenue. If Apple’s iMessage were considered such a platform, Apple would have to make it compatible with other messaging platforms by March 2024. But Apple argued that iMessage does not have 45 million active users in the EU and therefore does not meet the criterion.
Google and major European operators argue that iMessage meets the Digital Markets Act criteria and want the European Commission to require Apple to open it up for interoperability with other messaging apps. The EU regulator is investigating iMessage on the assumption that it indirectly contributes to Apple’s revenue.
The decision will be made by February 2024, and if iMessage is deemed a core service, Apple will have to put an end to the green bubble-blue bubble problem in the EU once and for all.
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