Sorry iPhone users, iMessage may soon stop being an Apple-only app and will work like WhatsApp on Android too

The blue vs green argument is once again back on the table. This time, Google is reaching out to the European Union (EU) to insist Apple end iMessage’s exclusivity to Apple devices and adopt the RCS messaging service –– something Google has been poking Apple to do for a very long time. For years now, Google has taken every opportunity to take a jibe at Apple for not using the RCS service.

Google has co-signed a letter with European network providers asking the EU to designate iMessage as a “core” service, so that it falls under the Digital Markets Act, according to a report by The Financial Times.

Read More

This argument has a few layers to it. The first is that Google wants the EU to recognise that iMessage is used by enough people in Europe so that it falls under the Digital Markets Act. The second layer to this is Google’s age-old argument that Apple is degrading the experience of messaging between Android and Apple device users and that it should adopt the RCS messaging standard.

Essentially, this would mean that iMessage will no longer be a service that only iPhone, Apple Watch or Mac users can use. As WhatsApp works across devices from different platforms like Android, Windows and iOS, iMessage may also get this compatibility. Right now, Apple users can send a message to Android users on iMessage. However, it goes as an SMS text in a green bubble. Only Apple device users with iMessage service enabled can send the famous blue bubble messages.

This, in turn, means that all iMessage features like sending high-resolution messages and videos or using stickers and other multimedia, remain exclusive to users of Apple devices, and Google thinks this is unfair and looks at this as anti-competitive. Google also says that Apple is degrading the messaging service between Android and Apple devices by turning messages into SMS and MMS, instead of using the RCS standard.

But, of course, this would happen only if the EU actually asked Apple to take action on this. Right now, Google and European carriers have only requested the EU to take action, but something official has yet to go underway. This would also only take place if the EU thinks that the service is “core” enough or affects a large number of people.

Also, while Android has been pushy about Apple adopting the RCS messaging service for years, Apple has been equally adamant not to. As indicated at the beginning of this article, this isn’t the first time the blue vs green argument has come up. Previously, Apple had argued that the iMessage service is only used by 45 million users in the EU and does not affect as many people. Apple also says that iPhone users are free to use other services like WhatsApp in case iMessage ruins their experience. However, it insists on keeping iMessage a service just for its users.