Tim Cook's 'Buy Your Mom An iPhone' Comes Back To Bite Apple In DOJ's Antitrust Lawsuit

Apple Inc. AAPL CEO Tim Cook's 2022 conversation with a journalist has come back to bite him, with the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) citing it in its antitrust lawsuit against Cupertino.

What Happened: Amongst 232 citations in its "dangerous" antitrust lawsuit against Apple, the DOJ cited Cook's disapproval for making the messaging experience better between iPhone and non-iPhone users.

In a 2022 conversation, Cook was asked by Vox Media's LiQuan Hunt about the difficulty in sending media files from his iPhone to his mother's Android device.

See Also: Apple Blamed For Amazon, Microsoft, And HTC’s Smartphone Flops In DOJ’s Latest Lawsuit Against iPhone-Maker

When asked if Apple would fix the interoperability between iPhones and Android phones, Cook was more interested in converting the user to an iPhone instead.

"Not to make it personal but I can't send my mom certain videos," asked Hunt, to which Cook replied, "Buy your mom an iPhone."

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Why It Matters: This resurfacing of the 2022 conversation adds a new layer to the ongoing Apple-Android messaging debate. This debate has been a hot-button topic in the tech world.

Alphabet Inc.'s GOOG GOOGL Google and its Android partners like Samsung have complained about it several times. Google even ran commercials, throwing shade at Apple.

Apple’s stance on messaging has been a recurring theme, with the company mocked by Google for its green bubbles and the EU’s decision to mandate RCS support in iPhones from 2024.

The iPhone maker has also gone hard against a third-party messaging app maker Beeper – after a cat and mouse game, Apple eventually banned it from accessing its iMessage service.

Price Action: On Friday, Apple's shares were up 0.16% in premarket trading after closing at $171.37 on Thursday, according to Benzinga Pro.

Check out more of Benzinga’s Consumer Tech coverage by following this link.

Read Next: Nvidia Could Be Next After Apple To Face Lawsuit From DOJ, Says Jim Cramer

Disclaimer: This content was partially produced with the help of Benzinga Neuro and was reviewed and published by Benzinga editors.

Photo courtesy: Flickr

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