There is a new development in the Beeper vs. Beeper drama. Apple that started to unfold a few days ago. To refresh your memory, Beeper has found a workaround to make iMessage work on Android. But Apple stopped that, citing security and privacy concerns.
Beeper was quick to offer a different workaround. It then reduced the price of the Beeper Mini, making it free since reliability was a concern. Then the Beeper Mini app crashed again for some users on Thursday, though Beeper said an easy fix was available.
Apple has not confirmed that it has taken any measures to disable the service this time. But I already warned you that you should expect Beeper Mini iMessage issues. Fast forward to Sunday, iMessage support has dropped for more than 60% of Beeper Mini and Cloud users.
This cat-and-mouse game between Apple and Paper has caught the attention of lawmakers. After Elizabeth Warren came to the Beeper Mini’s defense a few days ago, there’s now a bipartisan effort demanding that the Department of Justice launch an antitrust investigation into Apple’s conduct related to support for the Beeper Mini iMessage.
I think this is the wrong approach in this specific case. These lawmakers either don’t understand how iMessage works, or they’re just picking a fight with Apple for the sake of picking a fight.
Senators Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) and Mike Lee (R-Utah) and Representatives Jerry Nadler (D-NY) and Ken Buck (R-CO) wrote The message in question To the Ministry of Justice on Sunday, per Engadget.
In the letter, the lawmakers warn of Apple’s “potential anticompetitive treatment of the Beeper Mini messaging app.” They briefly describe what’s gone wrong in the past few days with the Beeper Mini and iMessage while making the Beeper Mini seem like some sort of savior app for Android users, and portraying it as real competition to Apple:
Earlier this month, Beeper introduced Beeper Mini, an interoperable messaging service that allows users of the Android mobile operating system to communicate with users of Apple’s iMessage service. Previously, Android users were not able to securely communicate with iMessage users and were relegated to using decades-old unencrypted SMS technology. inside
Let’s start with the obvious problem here. Encrypted iMessage conversations aren’t a communication standard that Apple is somehow holding hostage.
iMessage is a special app that came out a long time ago to compete with a lot of instant messaging alternatives. iMessage turned out to be the service that others wanted to emulate, but that’s a different story. Google stumbled in the dark for ages before offering up a worthy competitor.
To get iMessage, you have to buy iPhones, yes. This is how you pay for iMessage technology that is available for free to iPhone users. Just like you pay for a suite of Android and Google apps with your data used to create personalized ads.
Additionally, Android users have always been able to communicate securely with Android users, although not via iMessage. Senators and representatives easily forget about apps like WhatsApp and Signal that are end-to-end encrypted. The former has a huge market share compared to iMessage.
I’ll also point out that Apple’s guarantee of iMessage security means that exploits like the one found by the Beeper Mini are prohibited. Lawmakers have referred to this security in the quote above.
The lawmakers also say Beeper Mini “threatened a reduction [Apple’s iMessage] Leverage (sic) creates a more competitive mobile app market, which in turn (sic) a more competitive mobile device market.
But the Beeper Mini is not an iMessage competitor. It exploited iMessage via a workaround, effectively stealing access to iMessage from Apple. This access is then resold to Android users.
If Beeper Mini offers a standalone end-to-end encrypted app for iPhone and Android, it would be a competitor to iMessage. If the Beeper Mini is so popular on iPhones that Apple blocks it from the App Store, or makes it impossible to find, that would be anti-competitive behavior. But the Beeper Mini is none of that.
Instead, the Beeper Mini is just here to take advantage of iMessage. It is one of the various Android services that have tried to bring iMessage to Android. Fortunately for its users, it is more secure than some of its competitors.
If Beeper Mini were to introduce communications similar to Google Messages and WhatsApp by exploiting potential security issues, I’m sure Google and Meta would ban it as well. You can’t use RCS, WhatsApp and Signal in Beeper Mini now.
However, lawmakers want the Justice Department’s antitrust division to investigate Apple for stifling competition.
As you know, interoperability and interconnectivity have long been key drivers of competition and consumer choice in communications services, from telephones to email. Startups and small businesses stimulate innovation, create jobs, and can disrupt established companies when allowed to compete. But consumers will never benefit from competition if dominant companies are allowed to eliminate that competition at its infancy.
So we’re concerned that Apple’s recent actions to disrupt Beeper Mini competition hurt, remove choices for consumers, and will discourage future innovation and investment in interoperable messaging services. We also fear that these types of tactics will discourage future investment and innovation on a broader scale by those seeking to compete with existing digital gatekeepers. Therefore, we are referring this matter to the Antitrust Division to investigate whether this potential anticompetitive conduct by Apple violates the antitrust laws.
iMessage was never meant to be an interoperable service like SMS, MMS, and RCS. WhatsApp, Signal, and any other competitor to iMessage cannot, and should not, work with competing chat services.
In this case, requiring the Department of Justice to investigate Apple for antitrust conduct is unwarranted. Or if that’s the way to go, lawmakers should save the draft letter and replace “Apple” with “Google,” “Meta” or any other company that might want to prevent Beeper Mini from inserting itself into a competing service in the future. .
Apple’s recent decision to revoke the iMessage app from the Beeper Mini, a device that enables users to access multiple messaging platforms on a single device, has raised concerns of potential antitrust violations. The removal of the iMessage app from the Beeper Mini has sparked criticism and speculation that it could lead to a closer examination of Apple’s anti-competitive behavior. With the potential for an antitrust investigation looming, the tech giant may face scrutiny over its control and restrictions placed on third-party developers, ultimately impacting the future of its app store and digital ecosystem.