@Bitrot Kinda like that. Most friends of mine don’t even own an iPhone. Those who do, generally use Facebook Messenger to speak to each other. If anyone is not on Facebook, they are surely on WhatsApp, or they can be reached via the classical phone calls and SMS messages (but I’ve yet to meet someone who I need to use these with, as they are clearly inconvenient as hell). If there’s a group chat, it is generally on WhatsApp.
I heard Telegram is popular as well in the post-soviet space. It is my fallback as well, and I’m not in one. Plenty of Romanian channels (news or organizations), and I speak with a couple of friends from there. I realize this is just “a different WhatsApp” from the POV of a centralized silo, but the features are great and I’d clearly trust Telegram more than Meta. @brisk
Apple would rather a hit to their ego than a legal restriction anywhere. A little marketing can fix the former, but the latter can be permanent and fatal.
The government labeling something that Apple fans love as “not needing regulation” is purely a win for Apple. Imagine if 99% of text messages sent were via iMessage, and the EU kept the same ruling. That means that Apple has a functioning monopoly that is not considered a monopoly because there’s technically an alternative.
Imagine if 99% of text messages sent were via iMessage, and the EU kept the same ruling.
If 99% of messages were sent via iMessage the ruling would have been different. if it ever fulfils the criteria needed to be considered gatekeepers, then they will be designed as such.
Imagine if 99% of text messages sent were via iMessage, and the EU kept the same ruling
That’s not how the law works, though. If they manage to grow iMessage’s user base to a significant level, they’ll be subject to the DMA. The conclusion isn’t “Apple doesn’t need regulation”, it’s “iMessage isn’t big enough to be considered a threat to the messenger ecosystem”.
Knowing Apple, they’ll probably try to stop their users from switching to iMessage so they don’t get popular enough to need to follow DMA restrictions.
Did you just say Apple would try to prevent their users from switching to iMessage? Apple knows iMessage is a massive selling point for iPhones which is the reason Apple is so afraid of opening iMessage up to begin with.
It is a major point of social pressure. People get legitimately upset when they start a group chat and realize one of the members doesn’t have an iPhone. That absolutely makes it valuable to Apple
Are you still talking about the EU here? I’ve heard that is a common sentiment in America, where iphone and android are about 50/50, but it is not my experience that Apple has enough market share anywhere else to make that a serious consideration.
I agree it’s a minor irritation by most standards, but when all that’s on the line is making jokes about someone based on their choice of phone there’s no reason not to pressure someone else.
As to sources, I see it happen all the time. I used to be the one who upset people, then I bought an iPhone and almost everyone I texted got really excited to see the color of our chat change. I’ve also seen countless memes about green chat bubbles and people ruining group chats because of their Androids. I’m not sure you’re going to get much more reliable sources than anecdotal ones for something like this.
Okay, I’ve been using an iPhone for over a decade at this point. I’ve seen the memes online and stuff but I have never met a real person who gives a shit? I’ve seen social pressures to sign up for Discord, Telegram & Signal so someone can be added to a group chat. I don’t know anyone that wants to group text message though, it never comes up. That’s kind of the thing with iMessage, to make it “simple” and “just works” Apple made it an extension of texting. But no one texts anymore. It’s basically just wifi calling for text messages but locked to one type of phone. I see this supposed iPhone user talked about all the time but I’ve never once cared about the colour of the bubble or any of this stuff?
Well, if you don’t know that, it means that either, you are not a US citizen, which we ruled out, ooooor… oooh, I hate to break it to you but… you have lost touch with “the youngsters” as they say. You are old.
I want to add that it’s not just kids. I have seen it from people in their mid to late 20’s and 30’s too. Apple + iMessage is the default for many people. Maybe not the kind of people using the fediverse but it’s very common in the real world US.
Not around these parts. I know other European countries have more iPhone users, but across the EU almost everyone has a different messaging app. Could be WhatsApp, could be Facebook Messenger, could be Telegram, could be Viber, but iMessage/SMS/RCS isn’t very popular at all.
Apple removed the ability to install PWAs in the EU update, presumably because they don’t want to give competing browsers the same privilege and are mandated by law to provide an equal playing field, so I don’t think it’d be too far-fetched that Apple would actually dislike growing their iMessage user base. They’re selling plenty of iPhones without it.
@skullgiver For Apple, the US I think is their main market. Here is still that thing that you need to be rich enough to afford, so this is why iMessage is not such a great thing.
I think that by staying below the EU radar they get to keep their walls for the US users, where regulations are more lax and don’t pose any risk for their business model.
Bu that’s the point, it isn’t a selling point in europe. People here mainly use WhatsApp. As a european iPhone user with a lot of other iPhone users in my social circle I pretty much never get an iMessage. I got one two weeks ago, but before that my last iMessage was in 2018. I’ve never heard anyone here talk about blue vs green bubbles and never heard iMessage mentioned in an Android vs iOS discussion.
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It’s a win for Apple, but isn’t it also sort of a loss because they’re not popular enough to count?
“Victory, we can’t even get 10% market share!” sounds like something Apple would celebrate.
@Bitrot Kinda like that. Most friends of mine don’t even own an iPhone. Those who do, generally use Facebook Messenger to speak to each other. If anyone is not on Facebook, they are surely on WhatsApp, or they can be reached via the classical phone calls and SMS messages (but I’ve yet to meet someone who I need to use these with, as they are clearly inconvenient as hell). If there’s a group chat, it is generally on WhatsApp.
I heard Telegram is popular as well in the post-soviet space. It is my fallback as well, and I’m not in one. Plenty of Romanian channels (news or organizations), and I speak with a couple of friends from there. I realize this is just “a different WhatsApp” from the POV of a centralized silo, but the features are great and I’d clearly trust Telegram more than Meta.
@brisk
I’ve always had android and never had any iMessage issues since whatsapp, telegram etc are much more popular here
@And009 yea, WhatsApp and other Meta products are especially so ubiquitous.
Hope signal becomes the default or brings in some kind of support without the meta tracking
A loss for European consumers, you mean.
Apple would rather a hit to their ego than a legal restriction anywhere. A little marketing can fix the former, but the latter can be permanent and fatal.
The government labeling something that Apple fans love as “not needing regulation” is purely a win for Apple. Imagine if 99% of text messages sent were via iMessage, and the EU kept the same ruling. That means that Apple has a functioning monopoly that is not considered a monopoly because there’s technically an alternative.
If 99% of messages were sent via iMessage the ruling would have been different. if it ever fulfils the criteria needed to be considered gatekeepers, then they will be designed as such.
I’m sure the rule would be different. My point was mostly to say this is in no way bad for Apple
It’s not bad for apple, but iMessage is so irrelevant here in Germany, even the most die hard Apple fans will use WhatsApp no matter what.
Same here in the Netherlands. All the people I know with an iPhone use Whatsapp. I only use the standard app to read incoming SMS.
That’s not how the law works, though. If they manage to grow iMessage’s user base to a significant level, they’ll be subject to the DMA. The conclusion isn’t “Apple doesn’t need regulation”, it’s “iMessage isn’t big enough to be considered a threat to the messenger ecosystem”.
Knowing Apple, they’ll probably try to stop their users from switching to iMessage so they don’t get popular enough to need to follow DMA restrictions.
Did you just say Apple would try to prevent their users from switching to iMessage? Apple knows iMessage is a massive selling point for iPhones which is the reason Apple is so afraid of opening iMessage up to begin with.
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It is a major point of social pressure. People get legitimately upset when they start a group chat and realize one of the members doesn’t have an iPhone. That absolutely makes it valuable to Apple
Are you still talking about the EU here? I’ve heard that is a common sentiment in America, where iphone and android are about 50/50, but it is not my experience that Apple has enough market share anywhere else to make that a serious consideration.
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I agree it’s a minor irritation by most standards, but when all that’s on the line is making jokes about someone based on their choice of phone there’s no reason not to pressure someone else. As to sources, I see it happen all the time. I used to be the one who upset people, then I bought an iPhone and almost everyone I texted got really excited to see the color of our chat change. I’ve also seen countless memes about green chat bubbles and people ruining group chats because of their Androids. I’m not sure you’re going to get much more reliable sources than anecdotal ones for something like this.
Okay, I’ve been using an iPhone for over a decade at this point. I’ve seen the memes online and stuff but I have never met a real person who gives a shit? I’ve seen social pressures to sign up for Discord, Telegram & Signal so someone can be added to a group chat. I don’t know anyone that wants to group text message though, it never comes up. That’s kind of the thing with iMessage, to make it “simple” and “just works” Apple made it an extension of texting. But no one texts anymore. It’s basically just wifi calling for text messages but locked to one type of phone. I see this supposed iPhone user talked about all the time but I’ve never once cared about the colour of the bubble or any of this stuff?
safsafdasd
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I’ve been told that that’s how the kids roll these days in the US.
deleted by creator
Well, if you don’t know that, it means that either, you are not a US citizen, which we ruled out, ooooor… oooh, I hate to break it to you but… you have lost touch with “the youngsters” as they say. You are old.
deleted by creator
I want to add that it’s not just kids. I have seen it from people in their mid to late 20’s and 30’s too. Apple + iMessage is the default for many people. Maybe not the kind of people using the fediverse but it’s very common in the real world US.
Not around these parts. I know other European countries have more iPhone users, but across the EU almost everyone has a different messaging app. Could be WhatsApp, could be Facebook Messenger, could be Telegram, could be Viber, but iMessage/SMS/RCS isn’t very popular at all.
Apple removed the ability to install PWAs in the EU update, presumably because they don’t want to give competing browsers the same privilege and are mandated by law to provide an equal playing field, so I don’t think it’d be too far-fetched that Apple would actually dislike growing their iMessage user base. They’re selling plenty of iPhones without it.
@skullgiver For Apple, the US I think is their main market. Here is still that thing that you need to be rich enough to afford, so this is why iMessage is not such a great thing.
I think that by staying below the EU radar they get to keep their walls for the US users, where regulations are more lax and don’t pose any risk for their business model.
@BmeBenji
Perhaps, but even in the USA Apple seems to be attracting antitrust investigations.
Bu that’s the point, it isn’t a selling point in europe. People here mainly use WhatsApp. As a european iPhone user with a lot of other iPhone users in my social circle I pretty much never get an iMessage. I got one two weeks ago, but before that my last iMessage was in 2018. I’ve never heard anyone here talk about blue vs green bubbles and never heard iMessage mentioned in an Android vs iOS discussion.