Apple’s iMessage doesn’t qualify as a gatekeeper service, according to the European Union, meaning that the company’s Messages app will not need to directly connect with other chat apps.
The EU made the announcement Tuesday, stating that Apple’s iMessage service no longer qualifies as a gatekeeper under the governing body’s Digital Markets Act. While iMessage was previously considered to fall under that label, Apple submitted a rebuttal in September that appears to have changed that designation for now.
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Services that qualify as gatekeepers under the DMA must meet several standards to operate in the European Union. Meta’s WhatsApp falls under the EU’s gatekeeper label, so the company has been readying a third-party chats section to enable conversations to take place across other services. The same has been applied to the company’s Messenger app. According to documents on the Digital Markets Act’s website citing the designation for both of Meta’s services, the size of the communication platform as well as the platform’s ability to monetize are taken into consideration.
The iMessage announcement came alongside a similar announcement for Microsoft’s Bing search engine and Edge web browser, both of which will not be seen as gatekeepers for now.
“The Commission will continue to monitor the developments on the market with respect to these services, should any substantial changes arise,” the EU said in its announcement. “The decisions do not affect in any way the designation of Apple and Microsoft as gatekeepers on 5 September 2023 as regards their other core platform services.”
Apple’s rebuttal, according to documents dated on Sept. 5, includes the company’s opinion that iMessage is not a fee-based service despite the requirement to purchase an iPhone and that certain iMessage services are purchased through Apple’s App Store instead of the Messages app. The EU did not detail in its Tuesday announcement which elements of Apple’s rebuttal…
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