• The DOJ is suing Apple, accusing the tech big of anti-competitive and monopolistic practices.
• The go well with accuses Apple of constructing iPhone customers’ texting expertise with Android customers worse.
• Google has railed towards the inexperienced message bubbles for years.

Google may rating a serious win out of the Division of Justice’s sweeping antitrust lawsuit towards Apple: eliminating these janky inexperienced messages from Android customers.

US Lawyer Normal Merrick Garland defined in a information convention Thursday that when an iPhone person messages a non-iPhone person, not solely do the non-iPhone person’s texts present up as inexperienced bubbles in Apple Messages, but in addition their movies grow to be pixellated and grainy, their messages usually are not encrypted, they usually can not edit messages or see typing bubbles.

“Consequently, iPhone customers understand rival smartphones as being decrease high quality as a result of the expertise of messaging family and friends who don’t personal iPhones is worse, though Apple is the one answerable for breaking cross-platform messaging,” Garland mentioned within the information convention. “And it does so deliberately.”

In an announcement, Apple advised Enterprise Insider it will “vigorously defend” towards the lawsuit, which it mentioned was “flawed on the information and the legislation.”

“At Apple, we innovate every single day to make know-how folks love—designing merchandise that work seamlessly collectively, defend folks’s privateness and safety, and create a magical expertise for our customers,” Apple mentioned in an announcement to Enterprise Insider. “This lawsuit threatens who we’re and the rules that set Apple merchandise aside in fiercely aggressive markets. If profitable, it will hinder our capability to create the type of know-how folks anticipate from Apple—the place {hardware}, software program, and providers intersect. It will additionally set a harmful precedent, empowering authorities to take a heavy hand in designing folks’s know-how.”

Google beforehand accused Apple of exploiting “peer strain and bullying” for revenue by singling out Android customers with the inexperienced bubbles.

And final 12 months, when builders launched an app that allowed Android customers to ship blue bubble messages to iPhone customers, Apple shut it down inside per week.

Google requested European regulators in November to require Apple to make its messaging app appropriate with third-party units. And there is even a touchdown web page arrange by Android urging clients to inform Apple to eliminate the dreaded bubbles.

The DOJ’s lawsuit accuses Apple of constructing a monopolistic ecosystem with anti-competitive practices that stifle customers’ capability to cross between platforms.

The lawsuit alleges Apple deliberately makes units that run on competing working methods like Android look unhealthy. And the way messages are despatched is one instance, the lawsuit argues.

“Apple makes third-party messaging apps on the iPhone worse typically and relative to Apple Messages, Apple’s personal messaging app, by prohibiting third-party apps from sending or receiving carrier-based messages,” the lawsuit argues. “By doing so, Apple is knowingly and intentionally degrading high quality, privateness, and safety for its customers and others who don’t have iPhones.”

The DOJ’s lawsuit desires Apple to cease its alleged anti-competitive practices — that means the inexperienced bubbles could possibly be gone for good if the feds win in court docket.

That’d be a boon for Android customers — and Google — by eradicating a stigma that the DOJ says retains iPhone clients locked in to Apple’s ecosystem.