A fix for an iMessage bug makes breaking up with Apple just a little bit easier, now that the tech company has provided official means for former users to deregister from its messaging server.
Previously, individuals who migrated away from Apple's ecosystem would learn that some of their messages weren't being delivered to their new devices.
iMessage suffered from an inability to route short message service multimedia messages sent from Apple devices to non-Apple products. The sending party would see messages marked as "delivered," while the non-Apple users would never receive the content.
To resolve the routing flaw, Apple has launched a form that enables former customers to deregister mobile devices from iMessage. The deregistration form was quietly released, but a Reddit user picked up on it and spread the word about it.
Deregistering from iMessage previously required users to contact Apple Care, but a lawsuit may have prompted the tech company to offer a systematic means for opting out of its message delivery service.
Now, former Apple users need only submit their telephone numbers to Apple via the deregistration form. The form will generate codes, which former Apple users can use to confirm the decision to deregister from iMessage.
Back in May, a class-action lawsuit came to light and highlighted iMessage's failure to serve former Apple users.
The plaintiffs alleged that Apple's iMessage flaw "tortuously interfered" with the agreements established between wireless carriers and subscribers. In addition, the lawsuit alleged Apple failed to properly notify the plaintiffs that iMessage could hinder the delivery of messages to them when they switched to other hardware manufacturers.
"Through this material omission, Apple violated the California Legal Remedies Act," states the lawsuit.
The lawsuit may be viewed as an attempt to punish a former customer -- that's still being decided in court. But recently unsealed court documents in another case may give a better look into Apple's aggressive side.
Before filing for bankruptcy, GT Advanced Technologies had been working on a deal to supply Apple with sapphire screens for the latest series of iPhone. But the unsealed bankruptcy documents detail the strained relationship between the pair, in which Apple alleged told GT Advanced to put on its "big-boy pants."
GT Advanced alleges that it agreed to produce a set number of sapphire screens for iPhones, before Apple began to get too hands-on at the production facility. The bankrupt company is accusing Apple of a bait and switch, while the iPhone maker says it was never legally obligated to buy the screens.
