Senator Elizabeth Warren has weighed in on Apple Inc. AAPL shutting down the iMessage for Android app Beeper Mini, terming it a case of corporate greed.
What Happened: Senator Warren batted for Android users at the receiving end of the green versus blue bubble debate, saying Apple is preventing Android users from accessing a more secure way of messaging iPhone users.
"Green bubble texts are less secure. So why would Apple block a new app allowing Android users to chat with iPhone users on iMessage?" she said.
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Senator Warren blamed this on corporate greed, saying, "Big Tech executives are protecting profits by squashing competitors."
She also promoted cross-platform messaging, saying it should be "easy and secure."
The cat-and-mouse game between Apple and Beeper was expected – the messaging startup allegedly exploited "fake credentials" to gain access to iMessage, Apple said.
"We took steps to protect our users by blocking techniques that exploit fake credentials in order to gain access to iMessage," Apple said in a statement to The Verge.
Although Beeper only used this alleged exploit to allow Android users' to essentially use iMessage on their phones, Apple says malicious parties could use the same means for phishing attacks.
"These techniques posed significant risks to user security and privacy, including the potential for metadata exposure and enabling unwanted messages, spam, and phishing attacks," the company said.
Apple won't stop, either – the company says it will continue to update iMessage, which essentially means Beeper Mini is a dead end.
Why It Matters: Beeper Mini promised to solve a long-standing problem for Android users that has bothered Alphabet Inc.'s GOOG GOOGL Google enough that it has launched campaigns to put pressure on Apple.
While Apple has caved in and announced support for Rich Communication Services (RCS) due to European Union regulations, it still won't solve the green versus blue bubble problem.
Photo by Sheila Fitzgerald on Shutterstock
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