Apple still reluctant to introduce iMessage interoperability

Few things are as dreadful to an Apple user as the green bubbles that appear when their messages hit a non-iPhone recipient. The lack of iMessage interoperability has been a pet peeve for quite some time, with Apple refusing to cave in to the demands of users.

Nevertheless, even as the Cupertino company is forced to make concessions in the face of mounting legislation, cross-platform support for iMessage remains unlikely in the foreseeable future. For now, Apple will not be integrating RCS (i.e. rich communication services), the standard which could potentially enable interoperability.

This information was first brought forward by Bloomberg in a dedicated article, which was subsequently covered by 9to5 Mac. The original source stipulates that Apple has not made a decision on how to open up iMessage to third-party services.

Love it or hate, however, the Apple ecosystem works. Well, maybe not for all Apple consumers, but rather for the Cupertino company itself. The figurative ‘bubble’ (pun intended) in which most users are placed tends to be one of the most significant sources of revenue for the American tech giant.

But so is Europe, and the EU in particular. But the latter has found ways to challenge some of Apple’s business strategies. Earlier this year, a law was passed which threatens the proprietary Lightning port. If Apple does not comply, and fails to transition to USB-C, the iPhone might be kicked out of the European market.

But hardware is only one part of Apple’s monopoly over its users. A much more disconcerting aspect is the software side of the equation as demonstrated by the iMessage conundrum.

Luckily, legislators throughout the world are working on that front as well. According to the original report by Bloomberg, Apple has committed to allowing third-party app stores to function alongside its own App Store. Whether that is only the beginning remains to be seen.