[Software] Apple avoided creating an Android version of iMessage for its users to stay on its platform, according to Epic

[SougarLord]

 

Apple's intentions to create an iMessage app available for Android devices have been rescued from the statements of Epic Games in the trial that began in May against Apple. This is a judicial process that began with Epic's lawsuit against the American giant for the latter's decision to remove Epic applications from the App Store.

 

This situation arose from the creation by Epic of a payment system independent of Apple and without commission, a move that led Apple to eliminate Epic services from its platforms and to terminate all its developer accounts and tools in iOS and Mac.

 

Thus, in statements by the video game developer rescued from the trial document 'Considerations of fact and conclusions of law' of the court for the Northern District of California, Apple "decided not to develop a version of iMessage for the Android operating system," in a Quote attributed to Apple's SVP of Internet Software and Services, Eddy Cue.

 

The court brief details that the iMessage service for Android was designed with "cross compatibility with the iOS platform so that users of both platforms could have exchanged messages with each other without problems."

 

In the same document, another quote from Cue is detailed in which he says that "Apple has recognized the power of iMessage to attract users within its ecosystem."

 

Thus, the idea of cross-compatibility and the project were scrapped because of Apple's senior vice president of software engineering, Craig Federighi, fear of losing users for this reason: "iMessage on Android would only serve to remove an obstacle for iPhone families. giving your kids Android mobiles. "

 

Apple's chief marketing officer, Phil Schiller, agreed with this consideration: "More than helping us, bringing iMessage to Android will do us more harm." According to the brief, a former Apple employee commented in 2016 that "the most difficult reason to leave the Apple universe is iMessage."