The Apple iMessage is safe from the need to revamp or change the communication service and remain exclusive in the European Union region as it was deemed by the European Commission that it is not a gatekeeper. Deemed under the DMA, Apple, along with other services from several Big Tech companies, was announced to not be part of this list.
The sweeping legislation from the Digital Markets Act caused Apple to change massive things about its business, including iOS' exclusivity and its lack of third-party apps and payment options.
Apple's iMessage to Stay Exclusive in the EU
With the first iOS 17.2 beta, Apple has rolled out Contact Key Verification, a security functionality for iMessage.Kelly Sikkema from Unsplash
The latest announcement from the European Commission closed the books on its months-long investigation under the Digital Markets Act, centering on Apple's iMessage allowed to stay as an exclusive messaging service.
Following a thorough assessment of all arguments, taking into account input from 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 Commission regarded that these services are not "core platforms" that meet the threshold of being listed as gatekeepers.
This followed the rebuttal arguments submitted by Apple and Microsoft that explain more about why these services should not be considered gatekeepers, unlike the other aspects including the iOS, Safari, App Store, Windows PC OS, LinkedIn, and more from Google (Alphabet), Meta, ByteDance, and Meta.
Apple and EU's DMA, iMessage
The iMessage is long known for being Apple's exclusive messaging app which heavily relies on SMS and MMS, but it once faced a threat from the EU regarding a change for it to adopt the Rich Communication Services (RCS). However, despite this ruling, Apple is not yet changing the iMessage, with the Digital Markets Act applying to other aspects of Cupertino's business.
For a long time now, it has been known that Google campaigned against Apple's choice in technology for its iMessage, highlighting the company's refusal to adopt RCS to their devices to open it up for other services.
The massive pressure on Apple led to a significant declaration that it will soon adopt RCS, with Google supporting the move, but is looking at another partner to collaborate for this tech.
Apple will soon adopt RCS, but this did not talk about opening up the service to connect with other companies' technology, with iMessage remaining an independent Cupertino messaging experience. This gets further validation to stay as an Apple exclusive in the EU, with iMessage not declared as a gatekeeper after the Commission's months-long investigation.
