The U.S. Department of Justice (DoJ) and 16 other state and local attorneys general on Thursday accused Apple of illegally maintaining a monopoly on smartphones, thereby compromising user security and privacy when sending messages to non-iPhone users.
“Apple uses the guise of privacy, security, and consumer preferences to justify its anticompetitive conduct,” the landmark antitrust lawsuit alleges. “Apple uses the privacy and security rationale as an elastic shield that can be stretched or contracted in order to Serve Apple’s financial and business interests.”
“Apple selectively compromises privacy and security interests because doing so is in Apple’s own financial interest – such as making text messages less secure, providing governments and certain companies with access to more private and secure versions of the App Store, or Accept that billions of dollars each year choose Google as the default search engine when more private options become available.”
The massive complaint also claims that when iPhone users send messages to non-iPhone users through the Messages app, they default to using a less secure text message format (instead of iMessage) that lacks encryption support and Features are limited. iMessage, on the other hand, is end-to-end encrypted (E2EE) and even quantum-resistant.
It’s worth noting that at this stage, iMessage only works with iPhones and other Apple devices. Apple has repeatedly said it has no plans to make iMessage interoperable with Android, even saying that doing so would “hurt us more than help us.”
Additionally, the 88-page lawsuit accuses the iPhone maker of blocking third-party attempts to provide a secure cross-platform messaging experience between the iOS and Android platforms.
In December 2023, Beeper successfully reverse-engineered the iMessage protocol and ported the service to Android through a dedicated client called Beeper Mini. However, Apple has halted those efforts, arguing that Beeper “poses significant risks to user security and privacy, including the potential for metadata exposure and the potential for unwanted messages, spam, and phishing attacks.”
The U.S. Department of Justice said the restrictions had a powerful network effect, prompting consumers to continue buying iPhones and less likely to switch to competing devices, adding, “By refusing to allow cross-platform encryption solutions, Apple continues to deprive iPhone users of Less safe than otherwise.”
The development comes as Apple faces tougher scrutiny than ever to open up its tightly controlled software ecosystem – a so-called “walled garden” – that regulators say locks out customers and developers. Other major tech giants such as Microsoft, Google, Amazon and Meta have experienced similar lawsuits in recent years.
Apple made a surprise announcement late last year that it planned to add support for Communications Services (RCS), an upgraded version of the SMS standard with modern instant messaging capabilities, to its Messages app. It also said it would work with GSMA members to integrate encryption technology.
In response to the lawsuit, Cupertino said it would “vigorously defend” itself and said the lawsuit “threatens our identity and the principles that make Apple products stand out in a fiercely competitive market.” It also said a Justice Department win would “set a dangerous precedent that would allow the government to take draconian measures when designing human technology.”
