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iMessage was announced by Scott Forstall at the WWDC keynote in 2011. When iOS 5 was released in October, it included a version of the messages app that had iMessage built-in. In early 2012, Apple announced that a new Messages app would be included in OS X Mountain Lion which was released on July 25, 2012.

By 2012, Tim Cook announced that over 300 billion messages had been sent using iMessage. In 2016, Eddie Cue announced that 200,000 iMessages were being sent every second. Apple also announced an App Store for the platform in 2016.

When Apple announced its messaging platform, mobile carriers were caught off guard as it took over SMS technology. One of the reasons it was initially so successful is that users didn’t realize they were using something new. The only visual change was that the messages went from green to blue. The box for typing message had a faint iMessage in the box before starting a message as well.

Since its release, Google has tried multiple times to create its own messaging service similar to iMessage, but it hasn’t been able to find the same success. Apple has been applauded for including end-to-end encryption in iMessage.

We use end-to-end encryption to protect your iMessage and FaceTime conversations across all your devices. With watchOS and iOS, your messages are encrypted on your device so that they can’t be accessed without your passcode. We designed iMessage and FaceTime so that there’s no way for us to decrypt your data when it’s in transit between devices. You can choose to automatically delete your messages from your device after 30 days or a year or to keep them on your device forever.

Third-party apps that use iMessage do not have access to participants’ actual contact information or conversations. iOS provides each app with a random identifier for each participant, which is reset when the app is uninstalled. iMessage and SMS messages are backed up on iCloud for your convenience, but you can turn iCloud Backup off whenever you want. And we never store the content of FaceTime calls on any servers.

In iOS 11.4, Apple released Messages in the Cloud. If you enable it, it keeps your entire message history updated and available on all your devices. If you purchase a new device, all of your conversations will be synced over as well.

Apple launching quantum computer protection for iMessage with iOS 17.4, here’s what that means

iMessage quantum computer protection iOS 17.4

Security is a never-ending mission and today Apple has announced its latest innovation for protecting iMessage. Already live in the iOS 17.4 beta is an innovative post-quantum cryptographic protocol called PQ3. The novel upgrade gives iMessage “the strongest security properties of any at-scale messaging protocol in the world.” Here’s why iMessage quantum security is important now and into the future, how PQ3 works, and more.

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iMessage antitrust threat removed, as EU says it’s not a dominant service

iMessage antitrust threat removed | Green bubbles

The iMessage antitrust threat hanging over Apple has now been removed, as the EU decides that the messaging service does not have enough European users to qualify as a dominant service.

That means that Apple will not be required to support messaging interoperability, which would have allowed messages to be sent between competing chat apps …

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WhatsApp to support third-party chats due to EU regulations – is iMessage next?

WhatsApp iPhone

As part of the European Union’s Digital Markets Act (DMA) antitrust legislation, big tech companies will be forced to change many of their services to comply with the new legislation. You’re probably already familiar with the upcoming changes to the App Store, but DMA will also affect messaging apps – and it looks like Meta has already been working on making WhatsApp compatible with third-party chats.

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WhatsApp has been getting more attention in the US – but can it overtake iMessage?

WhatsApp iPhone

iMessage is certainly one of the most popular messaging platforms in the US, which has resulted in long-standing discussion about its interoperability with non-Apple devices. While some users are waiting for the iPhone to get RCS support later this year, it seems that Meta has been taking advantage of this situation as WhatsApp’s daily active user base has grown in the U.S. But will it ever overtake iMessage?

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Apple tells EU it has five different App Stores, not just one

Five different App Stores | App icons depicted as physical building blocks

While Apple is making behind-the-scenes preparations for allowing third-party app stores to comply with Europe’s antitrust requirements, the company is continuing to make arguments about why it shouldn’t have to.

Latest among these is the suggestion that the App Store shouldn’t be viewed as a ‘platform’ as the company actually operates five different app stores …

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‘Most sophisticated’ iPhone attack chain ‘ever seen’ used four 0-days to create a 0-click exploit

apple zero-day exploit spyware security iOS macOS patches fixes

Between 2019 and December 2022, an extremely advanced iMessage vulnerability was in the wild that was eventually named “Operation Triangulation” by security researchers at Kasperksy who discovered it. Now, they’ve shared everything they know about the “most sophisticated attack chain” they’ve “ever seen.”

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Department of Justice investigating Apple blocking Beeper; FTC too

DOJ investigating Apple blocking Beeper | Police car

The Department of Justice (DOJ) is carrying out at least a preliminary antitrust investigation into Apple blocking Beeper, the unofficial app which gave Android users access to iMessage. The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) also appears to be “evaluating” Apple’s actions.

Today’s report follows a call for a DOJ investigation by a bipartisan group of senators, and Bleeper’s announcement that it has now given up any hope of keeping the app working …

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As Beeper Mini broken for most, lawmakers call for antitrust investigation

Beeper Mini broken, call for antitrust investigation | App shown on Android phone

Our sister site 9to5Google yesterday reported that Beeper Mini is now broken for most users – no longer allowing Android users to send and receive iMessages – after Apple took further steps to block the app.

A bipartisan group of lawmakers is now calling on the Department of Justice to look into whether Apple’s action against the app amounts to “potentially anticompetitive conduct” …

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Apple faces antitrust criticism for blocking Beeper Mini: ‘Protecting profits by squashing competitors’

Last week, Beeper Mini debuted as a way to bring iMessage to Android without having to hand over your Apple ID credentials. A few days later, Apple made a change that stopped Beeper Mini from working – and it promised to continue doing so.

Apple’s decision has already attracted attention from at least one lawmaker, with US Senator Elizabeth Warren criticizing Apple’s move to shut down Beeper Mini.

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How to catch iMessage impersonators with Contact Key Verification in iOS 17.2

turn on Contact Key Verification iMessage iPhone

Apple has delivered iOS 17.2 to all users and with it comes a brand new security feature for iMessage. Called Contact Key Verification (CKV), the capability gives users more certainty they’re messaging with the people they think they are. Follow along for what this feature is, how it works, and how to turn on Contact Key Verification on for iMessage.

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beeper mini

‘Beeper Mini’ brings native iMessage support to Android, no Apple sign-in required

iMessage for Android. Even in this new reality where Apple intends to adopt RCS, it’s still something that people want because, after all, iMessage is very popular. And while Apple will probably never do it, the folks at Beeper are launching a new app, “Beeper Mini,” which brings iMessage support to Android that closely mimics the experience on iPhone, and does so in a way that’s “native.”

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Apple’s RCS announcement date wasn’t coincidence, and is good insurance

Apple's RCS announcement | 3D green chat bubble

Yesterday’s Apple RCS u-turn came as a big surprise, as the company had previously indicated that it had no plans to support the rich communication services (RCS) messaging standard.

But while the announcement itself was a surprise, the timing of it was not a coincidence – and represents a rare example of Apple (sort of) getting ahead of antitrust legislation …

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RCS is coming to iOS, but will it change anything for most iPhone users?

iMessage RCS

It’s official: Apple will add support for the RCS messaging standard in iOS. This won’t happen until the end of next year, and we don’t have many details about how Apple will implement RCS. In the meantime, we can reflect on the impact this will have on Android and iPhone users – and honestly, I don’t think it will be as huge as people might think.

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iMessage Contact Key Verification blocks the ‘ghost proposal’ plan by government spy agency

iMessage Contact Key Verification blocks the 'ghost proposal' | Robed figure holds an object with a ghost in it

Apple’s new iMessage Contact Key Verification at first glance seems to be a rather niche security feature, likely to be of interest only to the most paranoid or highly-targeted individuals. But it could turn out to be a privacy feature which protects us all from government spying.

That’s because it seems almost custom-designed to prevent a plan developed by the UK’s equivalent to the NSA – GCHQ …

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Apple reveals technical details behind how iMessage Contact Key Verification works

Apple launched a new iMessage security feature yesterday in beta called Contact Key Verification. We learned the basics of how it works yesterday but now Apple has published technical details of how the next-level iMessage security feature operates – including a unique solution to a problem that other messaging services face.

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