No Imessage On Android By Apple: Court Documents Revealed

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As per court filing, Apple could have put iMessage on Android, but it could not as the company doesn’t want to lose its iPhone users.

In the latest court filing from Fortnite publisher Epic Games, it has been revealed that Apple could have made an iMessage app for Android users. But, the company was not willing to do so to keep its users tied to its ecosystem. iMessage apps are one of the biggest reasons that have compelled people to buy an iPhone and stick with it.

However, it is not the single reason as it functions better than Signal and Telegram. Also, a large number of users rely on this service. But, there is also the most significant roadblock as if you have many friends and family members with iPhones, and when you buy an Android, it won’t allow you to join in with them.

Now, take a glance at why Epic Games has brought this news about iMessage recently. The single reason is the legal battle between Epic Games and Apple. This legal war between these two tech giants is going on since August 2020. The legal fight between Epic Games and Apple started when Apple banned Fortnite from the App ...
... Store. It leads Epic Games to find a way to bypass Apple’s developer fees when it comes to in-app purchases. Epic is doing everything to expose the dangerous monopoly of Apple in the mobile tech space.

Officially, the legal war between Epic Games and the tech giant was announced on May 3. Ahead of that, Epic Games filed a new document with evidence in the court. The new documents are to back up its claim that the Apple giant is exercising monopoly. In this recent court filing, the conversation regarding iMessage begins in section 58. Epic Games says that Apple has recognized iMessage’s power to attract and keep users tied to its ecosystem.

The Fortnite publisher has broken off these points into two subsections with evidence to back them up. One of the critical revealing tidbits says that the tech giant decided not to develop an iMessage version for Android users in 2013. Eddy Cue, the Senior Vice President at Apple’s Internet Software and Services has already confirmed this news. He testified that the tech giant could have made an iMessage version for Android to work with iOS.

Apple Stopped Itself From Creating iMessage Android Version

The tech giant admitted that it could have created an iMessage version for Android, but the question is why it could have stopped itself from doing so. Undoubtedly, if apple had created an iMessage Android version, it could have made the messaging much more convenient for users worldwide.

A large number of users and other people have been pointing towards this over the years. It’s such a service that many people would have been willing to pay for on Android. Going through the court filing of Epic Games, it all points towards only one thing, i.e., a practice to lock in users. According to the court filing, a former employee in Apple commented in the year 2016 that the presence of iMessage is the biggest reason why people don’t think to switch.

Not only former employees but the current employees have also shared the same notion. The former head of marketing in Apple and current fellow, Phil Schiller, is also saying the same thing, and that too on record. He says that creating an iMessage version for Android will hurt Apple in many ways more than helping it.

Besides, the court filing has also included the quote from Apple’s Senior Vice President Craig Federighi saying that iMessage helps Apple get more and more customers as iPhone families prefer to give their kids iPhone instead of Android phones.

In short, the tech giant knows that iMessage on Android would help everyone and be better for regular customers. But, it fears that introducing this facility on Android can irreparably hurt its bottom line. Over the years, it has been an assumption that Apple is not introducing iMessage on Android due to some technical limitations.

But, the court filing from Epic Games has revealed everything. However, the tech giant is not obligated to build the iMessage Android version only because people want it to do so. But, it can also be said that Epic has played smartly, bringing the anti-competitive business practices of Apple to the people.

Source :- https://karenmintonwp.wordpress.com/2021/04/14/no-imessage-on-android-by-apple-court-documents-revealed/

I am a Blogger and Designer .My interests range from technology to design. I am also interested in programming and education.