Apple’s critics and rivals frequently point out areas in which they perceive the company is stifling competition. The row over app payment methods, particularly with Fortnite maker Epic Games, is a notable recent example. Another area of contention is messaging – the way Apple differentiates messages sent via its own iMessage system from other text messages. iMessage and its features are not available on Android devices.
As it happens, the background to a vital part of the messaging issue – whether Apple will allow its iMessage service onto Android devices – emerged during the trial with Epic Games.
Documents made public during the trial revealed an internal debate at Apple, with software chief Craig Federighi arguing in a 2013 email:
“In the absence of a strategy to become the primary messaging service for [the] bulk of cell phone users,
