Apple’s iMessage may not be declared a ‘gateway’ in EU’s new antitrust rules

Apple’s iMessage may dodge a bullet in regards to new European Union antitrust rules to rein in Big Tech platforms “after watchdogs tentatively concluded that it isn’t popular enough with business users to warrant being hit by the regulation,” reports Bloomberg.

The article says that European Commission (EU) officials are leaning toward the reprieve for Apple as part of a five-month market investigation which concludes in February. In order to fall under the scope of the rules, a service must be deemed an “important gateway” for business users. EU enforcers now consider this is not the case for iMessage, according to Bloomberg.

Google and some of Europe’s biggest telecom groups had urged EU regulators to designate iMessage a “core” service and force Apple to make it compatible with competing chat services. Apparently this won’t happen.

The EU is the politically independent executive arm of the European Union. It’s goal is to “promote the general interest of the EU by proposing and enforcing legislation as well as by implementing policies and the EU budget.”