By Sam Obrien
Apple and Facebook are direct competitors in the messaging marketplace. According to Statista, Facebook Messenger, and WhatsApp continue to lead the charts of the most popular global mobile messenger apps.
In 2018, Facebook was rumored to be merging Facebook Messenger, WhatsApp, and Instagram messaging. The consolidation would strengthen Facebook’s messaging services and could impact Apple’s iMessage, a key feature on the iPhone.
The move was confirmed by Mark Zuckerberg in January 2019, though it’s unlikely to happen until at least 2020. Coincidentally, app developers have until April 2020 to update their apps in line with the new Apple features.
What does this all mean for consumers, and how can we expect it to play out from here?
A win for Apple in the battle for public trust?
This is not the first time this year that Apple and Facebook have clashed. In early 2019, TechCrunch exposed a breach by Facebook of the terms of the developer agreement with Apple, resulting in Apple revoking access.
Despite its standpoint on data use, Apple must use personal data to provide some of its features. For example, they serve interest-based adverts. All the tech giants had low perceived levels of trust by the public (under 30%) in a survey by YouGov, commissioned by Tresorit earlier this year. Apple ‘pipped Facebook at the post’ with a score of 22% while Facebook scored 18%.
Apple is positioning itself as the company where privacy comes first. This puts them in between other technology companies and the public. This is a smart move on Apple’s part in an increasingly competitive marketplace.
The question that should be on our minds is, ‘Which tech giant we should trust the most?’ At the moment, at least, Apple appears to be making the other tech firms play by its rules.
Sam O’Brien is the Senior Website Optimisation & User Experience Manager for EMEA at RingCentral, a global VOIP and UCaaS systems provider. Sam has a passion for innovation and loves exploring ways to collaborate more with dispersed teams. He has written articles for websites such as BambooHR and Vault.
