Through the Digital Markets Act, the EU is targeting big tech companies. As part of the legislation, certain platforms will be labeled “gatekeepers,” meaning they will be forced to open up to rival apps and services.
Apple is telling the EU that iMessage does not need to be open to other messaging apps like WhatsApp. The company claims iMessage is not popular enough among EU users.
The Digital Markets Act defines a “gatekeeper” as a company with over $8 billion in annual revenue. They must also have a market value above $80 billion and more than 45 million monthly users in the EU.
However, Apple reportedly said iMessage does not meet the user requirements in Europe. The tech giant argued it should not be labeled a “gatekeeper” in the EU and keep iMessage closed off.
iMessage has a strong grip on messaging in the United States. But popular messaging apps like WhatsApp are bigger than iMessage in the EU. It’s unclear exactly how many monthly active iMessage users there are in the region.
The EU is still discussing if iMessage and Microsoft’s Bing search should be named “gatekeepers.” Both companies are fighting against this designation. A final list of gatekeepers will be released soon.
Only time will tell if Apple can avoid opening iMessage to competition in the European market through its population claims. The outcome may also impact iMessage’s future in other regions.
