Apple's iMessage avoids EU's Digital Markets Act regulation

Original Article ↗ Hacker News Discussion ↗

Apple’s iMessage has been ruled outside the scope of the EU’s Digital Markets Act because it isn’t widely used by businesses in Europe, prompting debate over whether regulators are neglecting consumer interests and messaging interoperability. Commenters contrast iMessage’s dominance and social status effects in the US with its relatively minor role in Europe, where WhatsApp and other apps prevail, and argue over how much iMessage actually drives iPhone sales. Many see standardized, interoperable chat protocols (or mandated support for RCS) as more beneficial to users than app store remedies, while others note that Apple still has global incentives to adopt RCS to defuse future regulation.

DMA decision on iMessage and Bing

  • Many expected iMessage to be exempt: it’s not widely used by EU businesses or consumers compared to WhatsApp and others.
  • The DMA focuses on “gatekeepers”; iMessage didn’t meet the usage/importance thresholds, especially for business communication.
  • Some argue this shows EU priority is business markets over consumer convenience; others note regulating a niche service would be hard to defend in court.
  • Bing similarly isn’t dominant enough in practice to be treated as a gatekeeper service.

RCS, interoperability, and Apple’s incentives

  • Some wonder if Apple will now backtrack on its promised RCS support, since DMA pressure on iMessage is off.
  • Counterargument: RCS helps defuse future antitrust moves (e.g., in the US) and doesn’t threaten the “blue bubble” lock-in.
  • RCS is criticized as technically weak and not fully E2EE; some suggest a new EU-backed secure standard or Matrix instead.
  • Others oppose mandating one protocol, preferring to require interoperability from dominant ones.

Regional messaging habits

  • Broad consensus:
    • US, Canada, Australia, parts of UK/Scandinavia — iMessage/SMS very common for one‑to‑one chats; WhatsApp/Signal/Telegram used but secondary.
    • Most of Europe — WhatsApp is de facto standard (plus some Signal/Telegram); iMessage is marginal.
    • Japan — LINE dominates despite high iPhone share.
  • SMS in Europe is now mostly for 2FA and bootstrapping chat apps; in the US it remained “free enough” and ubiquitous, helping iMessage piggyback.

iMessage as moat, status, and network effects

  • In the US, iMessage is seen as a major iPhone sales moat, especially among teens and young adults, with “green bubble” stigma noted.
  • Others say the iPhone’s overall appeal and ecosystem drive iMessage adoption, not vice versa.
  • Outside the US, iPhones can still function as status symbols in lower‑income countries, but in many EU countries they’re viewed as just another financed phone.

EU tech regulation and spillover

  • DMA “do’s and don’ts” (interoperability, ranking neutrality, uninstall rights, tracking limits) are seen as potentially pro‑competition.
  • Debate on whether US users will benefit indirectly: some expect GDPR‑style copycat laws, others think US regulators will lag and platforms will mainly exploit extra openness.