iMessage May Avoid New EU Antitrust Rules

Apple's iMessage service may avoid new European Union antitrust rules that would force interoperability with rival services, according to a Bloomberg report.

Sources say officials have tentatively concluded that iMessage is not popular enough with business users to warrant being subject to the regulation.

European Commission officials are leaning toward the reprieve for Apple as part of a five-month market investigation which concludes in February, according to people familiar with the matter who spoke on condition of anonymity. In order to fall under the scope of the rules, a service must be deemed an "important gateway" for business users. EU enforcers now consider this is not the case for iMessage, according to the people.


Apple surprised everyone last month by announcing support for the RCS messaging standard that will improve interoperability with Android phones. However, it's been rumored that Apple made the announcement in advance of the Digital Markets Act going into full effect in March 2024. If Apple's iMessage service is excluded from the DMA, it could step back from full support of RCS.

Notably, the Digital Markets Act will require Apple to allow app sideloading and third party payment options, a major change that will provide new opportunities to app developers.

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