Apple may be subject to antitrust investigation

More than a week ago, Apple took strong action to block Beeper Mini - an application that allows Android device users to send and receive iMessage messages from the Apple ecosystem. The company accused this software of illegally interfering with the iMessage platform and "causing many risks to the security and privacy of users".

With the help of Beeper Mini, Android device owners can communicate directly with iPhone, iPad users without going through a third-party messaging application. However, the program also has some limitations such as low quality of shared images and videos , lack of end-to-end encryption , no notification of read messages, lack of response indicator...

Bipartisan US lawmakers want to investigate Apple for monopoly behavior

Apple recently announced that it plans to support RCS next year, and that most of its best features will work cross-platform between iOS and Android. But for now, the company is doing everything it can to protect iMessage, a feature that has become a "money maker" on the iPhone, helping to attract many users. It is for this reason that Apple has not been ready to support RCS in messages for a long time.

But Apple’s defense, including the latest blocking of the Beeper Mini, has unsettled some lawmakers. Senator Elizabeth Warren called Apple’s actions “anticompetitive” and joined a bipartisan group of lawmakers in sending a letter to Assistant Attorney General Jonathan Kanter.

The letter, dated December 17 and recently shared on several media outlets, also shows that many other Senators and Representatives agree. All share the same view, calling Apple's behavior "anti-competitive." The letter also argues that in order to keep the US market free and open, the Antitrust Bureau must be able to "control abuses of market power."

The bipartisan group of lawmakers also noted that "Apple executives have previously acknowledged that the company uses iMessage to 'lock' users into Apple's ecosystem of devices and services. Beeper Mini threatens to erode this advantage, creating a more competitive mobile app market, which in turn creates a more competitive mobile device market." The letter also cites the US Department of Commerce's "Competition in the Mobile App Ecosystem" report, which refers to Apple as a "gatekeeper" to the mobile software ecosystem.

Lawmakers are concerned that Apple’s recent actions to block the Beeper Mini app will have an adverse impact on market competition, harm consumers, and “stifle future innovation in the interactive messaging industry,” and have asked the Antitrust Division to investigate whether Apple is violating the law.

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