Facebook Wants Apple to Let Users Change their Default Messaging App

Sep. 28, 2020

Facebooksays it is pushingAppleto allow third-party messaging apps to be set as default on iPhones. In a conversation withThe Information, Facebook’s Head of Messenger, Stan Chudnovsky, said that the company is trying to convince the Cupertino giant to enable iPhone users to set their own default messaging app instead of forcing them to useiMessagewhether they want it or not.

According to Chudnovsky,“We feel people should be able to choose different messaging apps and the default on their phone. Generally, everything is moving this direction anyway”. He also alleged that Apple’s practices are unfair to third-party developers, because it doesn’t give them a level playing field on iOS. A more open OS, likeAndroid, will allow other developers, like Facebook, to compete on even terms, he said.

Chudnovsky further claimed that Apple may be unwilling to make the change because that might hurt iPhones sales in the long run. When asked why he believes Apple has steadfastly refused to change its stance in spite of possibleantitrust scrutiny, he said:“The main guess is that messaging drives hardware sales”.

While Apple may not be willing to open up the messaging service in iPhones to third-party developers, the company has included options iniOS 14to enable users tochange the default web-browser and e-mail client. While the company seems to be unwilling to let users replace iMessage as the default messaging app on iOS for now, it will be interesting to see if that will change going forward.

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