03/22/2024

Seven Ways the Apple Antitrust Case Could Change Your iPhone

Android users could finally be treated equal to Apple users

The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) has targeted Apple's alleged smartphone monopoly with its newly filed antitrust lawsuit. The suit accuses Apple of thwarting innovation, excluding competition and locking customers into its walled garden. Get ready for a lengthy courtroom battle, and with pockets as deep as Apple's, who knows what the outcome might be? But concessions seem likely.

Many of the points raised in the lawsuit have double-edged implications, admonishing Apple for not granting third parties more access to crucial iPhone functions, but also for preventing its apps and services from working beyond iPhones. This aggressive legal challenge could significantly impact the iPhone in your pocket. Here are a few changes we might see if the suit proves successful.

iMessage and Android

When Tim Cook was asked about fixing iPhone-to-Android messaging in 2022 by someone upset they could not send videos to their mother’s Android phone, he glibly replied, “Buy your mom an iPhone.” Those words, quoted in the lawsuit, are coming back to haunt him. 

Please select this link to read the complete article from WIRED.