Google and some of Europe’s largest telecoms operators have called on Brussels to designate iMessage as a “core” service that would require Apple to make the chat app fully compatible with rivals.
The European Commission, the EU’s executive body, is investigating whether iMessage should be on a list of services that must comply with the new Digital Markets Act, and so be able to connect seamlessly with competitors such as WhatsApp.
Currently, only Apple users are able to communicate via iMessage, making its signature “blue bubble” texts a key factor in retaining iPhone owners’ loyalty, especially among younger consumers. When customers using smartphones running Google’s Android software join an iMessage chat group all the messages change colour, indicating it has defaulted to standard SMS.