EU leans against forcing Apple to make iMessage cross-platform, report says

What you need to know

• The European Union is considering whether to make iMessage a core platform service under the Digital Markets Act (DMA).
• If iMessage becomes a core platform service, Apple would have to make it available on third-party devices.
• According to a Bloomberg report, the EU is leaning against issuing the designation because iMessage isn’t popular enough for business. 

Apple may not be forced to bring iMessage to Android devices after all, according to a Bloomberg report that shed light on the European Union’s ongoing deliberations. The EU is in the process of deciding whether iMessage should be considered a core platform service under the Digital Markets Act (DMA). If a service is given the core platform service designation, it would have to be cross-platform in the EU. 

However, the EU might not give iMessage this designation due to a key part of the DMA. The legislation says that core platform services are used as an important conduit between businesses and consumers. Whether iMessage is used in any significant way for business applications is a bit iffy, which is why it wasn’t listed in the EU’s first round of designations.