iMessage

A planned law to require CSAM scanning in chat apps would be illegal, disproportionate, and could increase rather than decrease the risks to children, say experts. It could also see Apple withdraw iMessage from EU countries.

The warning was given by more than 20 speakers at a privacy seminar, as the European Union continues to press for a CSAM measure which would effectively outlaw end-to-end encryption in chat apps like iMessage, WhatsApp, and Signal …

Automattic, the company behind WordPress.com, has acquired the all-in-one messaging app Texts. The app is capable of combining services including iMessage, WhatsApp, Slack DMs, and much more into a single interface.

Samsung is apparently joining Google’s ongoing “Get The Message” ad campaign calling on Apple to adopt RCS. In a new ad posted to YouTube this week, Samsung claims that “green bubbles and blue bubbles want to be together.”

RCS is the open messaging standard created by Google to replace SMS and offers a handful of iMessage-style features. Apple, however, isn’t keen on adopting the open standard.

Should Apple’s blue bubbles be subject to the European Union’s recent Digital Market Act? That’s something the European Commission is investigating, according to people in the know.

The Messages app gets a number of valuable upgrades with iOS 17. One of the big changes is the ability to create and place stickers including emoji, custom ones, and Live Stickers anywhere in a message. Follow along for how to make and use iPhone Messages stickers with iOS 17.

The British government’s hugely controversial Online Safety Bill has today passed in the second chamber of Parliament, and after six years of debate is now set to become law.

While Apple’s iMessage and other end-to-end encrypted messaging apps were saved from being outlawed by the bill, the government hasn’t yet given up the fight …

A new WhatsApp third-party chats feature has been spotted in the latest app code, indicating that the app is preparing to comply with European law on messaging interoperability.

Apple is so far pushing back on suggestions that iMessage would be subject to the same antitrust law, making the unlikely-sounding argument that it doesn’t have enough European users to count …

The future of iMessage in the UK had seemed in doubt, as the British government was demanding that the company break end-to-end encryption to allow messages to be scanned. Apple had said that it would withdraw iMessage from the UK rather than compromise user privacy.

WhatsApp and Signal had similarly threatened to withdraw their messaging apps from the UK, but the government has now done a U-turn, while issuing a meaningless, face-saving statement …

The European Union has now named the six tech giants whose services will be subject to the Digital Markets Act antitrust law, with Apple as one of the so-called “gatekeepers.” It’s been confirmed that the App Store is subject to the law, while the status of iMessage remains under investigation.

In total, some 22 services operated by the the six companies are deemed sufficiently influential to be covered by law …

A big change comes to Apple’s Messages with a new expandable menu for iMessage apps on iPhone. The update brings a cleaner and simpler UI but at first, you might be thinking, where are iMessage apps in iOS 17? Here’s a look at how to access, add, and customize them.

Apple will have until March 5 next year to comply with Europe’s Digital Markets Act, which in theory means that it will have to permit either third-party app stores, or sideloading of apps, by that date.

The deadline has been revealed after Apple confirmed that it qualified as having “gatekeeper” status, meaning that it is one of the companies that will be subject to the upcoming law. However, don’t expect much to change on this date …

If you’re having issues with Apple’s iMessage on Tuesday, it’s not just you. The platform is currently down or partially not working for some users. While in some cases users can send text messages but not media, others have been complaining that iMessage is not working at all.

Update: Apple says the issue was fixed around 11:20 a.m. PT. You can read the original article below.

Back in February Microsoft started testing iMessage on Windows made possible through its Phone Link app. Now the company says it’s rolling out the feature to everyone running Windows 11. While the news may sound exciting, there are some drawbacks to Microsoft’s iMessage experience. Here’s what you should know.

An NSO zero-click iPhone hack worked by gaining access to HomeKit on the device, but it was blocked by those using Apple’s Lockdown Mode security feature, with the phone alerting them to the access attempt.

However, two other NSO zero-click attacks seemingly succeeded – both exploiting vulnerabilities in the Find My app …

Microsoft is rolling out a new version of its Phone Link app for Windows, and it finally brings support for iPhone. Most notably, this includes support for iMessage on Windows for the first time… but there are some limitations on how exactly this works.