Google Is Offering Serious Cash to Lure iPhone Users to the Pixel 8

kirk781@lemm.ee to Technology@lemmy.world – -11 points –
howtogeek.com
23

That title is *very* misleading.

Jesus, when did HTG rebrand? When did they start clickbaiting? In my mind they were always that helpful tech tutorial website

They will have to offer iMessage compatibility to get me to switch back to android. I only have an iPhone because almost everyone in my life uses iMessage.

Apple is the problem and they are intentionally blocking this compatibility to keep you in their walled garden ecosystem.

One of many great reasons I avoid the company, I'm no fan of Google but I'm even less enthusiastic about being manipulatied by unnecessary restrictions.

Some months ago, in email transcripts between Apple employees from years ago, they were discussing about the possibility of bringing iMessage to Android but ultimately decided against it because it was the product that kept users locked in to their iPhones. It isn't a technological problem to bring iMessage but a corporation-al one.

Unfortunately it's not up to Google to get Apple to open their walled garden. Regulation is what is needed here. The EU's DMA rightfully considers Google a gatekeeper in the Ads, Search, and Browser business. It's a joke they're still considering if Apple is a gatekeeper with regard to iMessage for messaging.

Apple has removed your ability to choose for yourself what to buy because of their strong grip with iMessage.

Apple has removed your ability to choose for yourself what to buy because of their strong grip with iMessage.

Over here everyone uses WhatsApp. Don’t expect the EU to solve this particular problem for you.

You spelled Telegram* wrong... 😢

There are some regional differences. But iMessage is definitely not a monopoly anywhere.

Yup, where I live, everyone uses Line. The only time I ever use iMessage is to talk with my brother back in the US. iMessage gets ignored because it’s full of spam for me.

Oh. It very much is in the US for the school aged crowd. Which means in the US there's currently about 85% of all kids growing up and becoming adults who are used to using an iPhone.

It's already in the works. All big messenger services will have to allow federation. So that you may use whatever messenger you please. This should break up the iMessage and the WhatsApp lock-in.

Yes I am aware that it’s not possible for google to implement it, without some kind of lawsuit. Which they should do.

I’m just saying that without it, I really can’t go back to android.

Google has no ability to offer iMessage compatibility as it's locked down by Apple. Allegedly Apple devs had a version of iMessage ready to launch on Android and the Apple execs decided to kill it because they felt that keeping iMessage exclusive to Apple would keep users locked in, which clearly they were right about. I'm not interested in a discussion over which phone is better than the other but I don't care for the false narrative that Google is the one keeping iMessage off of Android.

I wasn’t implying google is keeping it off of android. Everyone knows apple gate keeps it to keep people on iPhone.

I’m just saying that without it, I can’t go back to android.

Fair enough. Maybe one day these companies will stop being total dicks about tying basic functionality to proprietary apps and OSs and we can all finally just choose the stuff we want to choose. Will probably never happen but I can dream.

Yeah really. Or someone will create an abstraction layer above WhatsApp/signal/iMessage/etc so I don’t have to use multiple programs to talk with my friends.

Can someone here update us on the status of that EU gatekeeping law in regards to iMessage?

TL;DR: Trade-in. Trade in value is $550 for the iPhone 14, for comparison $325 for the Pixel 7.