For Google, Apple and iMessage promote bullying among teenagers.
Between Google and Apple, this is not the perfect agreement. The two web giants may well share the smartphone market almost equally, all means are good when it comes to pulling the cover towards you. This is particularly what Mountain View criticizes its competitor. On iOS in particular, Apple has implemented some features exclusive to iPhone users, starting with the Memoji. Even more serious according to Google, it applied a visual distinction between users, by displaying messages sent from an iPhone in green, and those sent from Android in blue on iMessage.
Apple accused of promoting harassment
iMessage should not benefit from bullying. Texting should bring us together, and the solution exists. Let’s fix this as one industry. đź’šđź’™ https://t.co/18k8RNGQw4
– Android (@Android) January 8, 2022
If this change of color does not seem very important a priori, it is a real symbol of the class struggle between Google and Apple. In a survey recently shared by the Wall Street Journal, Android officials believe that the differentiation made by iMessage has the effect of “to classify” American teens according to their smartphone – and by extension according to their level of income, or that of their parents. On its official Twitter account, the company explains: “IMessage shouldn’t promote harassment. SMS should bring us closer together, and solutions exist. Let’s deal with it as one industry. Means exist today to solve this problem ”.
Peace or trial?
With this call for reconciliation launched at Apple, Android no doubt hopes to push the Apple to make peace. For Google Android manager Hiroshi Lockheimer, however, the situation seems a little more complicated. According to him, it would be a “deliberate strategy ” Apple for “Use social pressure and intimidation to sell your products”. A position he judges today “Fallacious for a company which places humanity and fairness at the heart of its marketing”. It must be said that while Apple’s blatant lack of openness is not recent, its recent lawsuit against Epic Games confirmed that the company’s strategy of remaining in a vacuum was indeed deliberate.
For his part, Google obviously has everything to gain to legally force Apple to be more open with its services. This is not the first time that the web giant has attempted a seduction operation, in particular when it had insisted that the iPhone take into account its new RCS messaging protocol, soon intended to replace SMS … less on Android.
