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Beep beep—it’s the FCC. They want to know what’s going on with those green text bubbles.
A Federal Communications Commission Republican called for his agency to probe why Apple started blocking the Android app Beeper Mini, which lets non-iPhone messages pop up in signature “blue bubble” texts.
Speaking at the State of the Net conference on Monday, Commissioner Brendan Carr said the lack of interoperability is not just an issue of convenience—it’s ultimately about accessibility. This angle could give the FCC a toehold to investigate the practice under its Part 14 rules that stem from a “landmark disability rights statute,” Carr said.
Beeper Mini “enabled people on Android devices, whether Google or Samsung phones, to communicate directly with iMessage users in a blue-bubble fashion, meaning it wasn't low contrast,” Carr said. “In my view, it promoted accessibility and usability by people with disabilities.”
The FCC’s Part 14 rules include an assumption that interconnection between services that promote user accessibility should be allowed, according to Carr.
“I think the FCC should launch an investigation, looking at whether Apple’s decision to degrade the Beeper Mini functionality that was being provided—which, again, encouraged accessibility and usability—was a step that violated the FCC rules,” he said.
Beeper Mini launched last year as a way to bridge the Apple-Android messaging divide. In late December, it criticized Apple for “interference” that disrupted the service despite multiple attempts to engineer around the tech giant’s blockades. For its part, Apple cited security and privacy concerns as its motivation for preventing Beeper Mini’s functionality, but other regulators didn’t seem impressed with that answer.
Sen. Elizabeth Warren questioned why Apple would block Beeper Mini in the name of security when its own blue messages are encrypted and “green bubble texts are less secure.” A group of lawmakers also told the Department of Justice they’re concerned Apple’s actions amount to “potentially anticompetitive conduct.”
For Carr, Beeper Mini is yet another example of the “negative consequences that come from Apple maintaining and perpetuating a walled garden approach to technology.” He said he expects similar issues to pop up as the company expands into artificial intelligence, augmented reality, and virtual reality applications.