A hot potato: With the Digital Markets Act's compliance deadline less than a month away, the EU's governing body has decided that Apple's messaging platform does not meet the law's definition of a "core platform service." Therefore, the iPhone's native Messages can remain status quo. However, the company still plans on adding RCS support via a secondary app.
On Tuesday, The European Commission announced that Apple's iMessage is not a "core platform service," so it is not subject to the European Digital Markets Act (DMA). The result is that Cupertino does not have to open the service to rival platforms. The ruling comes as a blow to Google, which has lobbied EU regulators to force Apple to make its system compatible with other messaging platforms.
Apple was not the only winner in the EC's decision. Microsoft saw three services become exempt from DMA rules, namely its browser, search, and advertising platforms.
"Following a thorough assessment of all arguments, taking into account input by relevant stakeholders, and after hearing the Digital Markets Advisory Committee, the Commission found that iMessage, Bing, Edge and Microsoft Advertising do not qualify as gatekeeper services," the EC said, despite having previously found them to meet "quantitative thresholds" for core platform services.
The ruling comes five months after it designated Apple's App Store, iOS, and Safari core platform services under the DMA. In that time, the EC investigated iMessage and considered arguments from Apple and its rivals. A similar probe is ongoing regarding iPadOS.
Google expressed frustration over the decision.
"Excluding these popular services from DMA rules means consumers and businesses won't be offered the breadth of choice that already exists on other, more open platforms," Google spokesperson Emily Clarke told The Verge.
However, Apple has already said it plans to support Google's cross-platform RCS protocol as a standalone service.
"[RCS] will work alongside iMessage, which will continue to be the best and most secure messaging experience for Apple users," Apple spokesperson Jacqueline Roy said.
In other words, even though iOS will have RCS support, Google is mad because the EU is not forcing Apple to crack open its proprietary system.
Meanwhile, Meta was not so lucky. Its messaging apps – WhatsApp and Messenger – were both designated gatekeeper services. The social media giant's development team is working to make both services interoperable with rival platforms.
All core platform services, including Apple's Safari, iOS, and App Store, must comply with DMA rules by March 7, 2024. Despite estimates showing otherwise, Cupertino's plan for App Store compliance has already taken heat from rivals for making it more expensive to offer external payment methods and secondary app stores.
Unfortunately, the time for rebuttals has passed. The EC will ultimately decide whether Apple's plan complies with the letter of the law or not.
Image credits: Yuri Samoilov
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