'Buy your mom an iPhone': Texting experience with Androids is a low priority for Apple, Tim Cook says

Apple CEO Tim Cook said connected Wednesday that Apple doesn't walk a batch of effort improving the texting acquisition betwixt iPhones and Android devices due to the fact that its users haven't been asking for it.

"I don't perceive our users asking that we enactment a batch of vigor connected that, connected this point," Cook said successful effect to an assemblage question astatine Vox Media's Code Conference successful Beverly Hills, California. "I would emotion to person you to iPhone."

The effect comes little than a period aft Google kicked disconnected an advertizing run meant to enactment unit connected Apple.

Currently, texts betwixt iPhones usage iMessage, which has a overmuch smoother acquisition than erstwhile an Android instrumentality texts an iPhone, successful which SMS messages amusement up arsenic greenish bubbles. Google wants Apple to follow RCS, a benignant of messaging that is meant arsenic a next-generation SMS replacement with encryption and different modern features.

The questioner pressed Cook, saying that helium can't nonstop videos to his ma due to the fact that of the limitations of SMS messaging.

"Buy your ma an iPhone," Cook said.

Cook was joined by erstwhile Apple caput decorator Jony Ive and Laurene Powell Jobs to sermon the bequest of Apple's laminitis and denote a caller Steve Jobs archive and imaginable documentary.

Apple's caller privateness propulsion is not a caller extremity for the institution — the reasoning really goes backmost to laminitis Steve Jobs, Cook said.

"Steve truly ingrained successful the institution successful the aboriginal days successful the value of privateness and it has lone grown since," Cook said.

Cook cited a 2010 speech by Jobs wherever helium said that privateness means that users consent to stock their data. "Privacy means radical cognize what they're signing up for, successful plain English, and repeatedly. That's what it means," Jobs said successful the speech cited by Cook.

Cook's remarks travel arsenic the company's privateness propulsion has drawn increasing disapproval arsenic self-serving arsenic the institution has introduced caller privateness features that marque online advertizing much hard to measurement arsenic Apple reportedly plans to summation the size of its advertizing concern and introduces caller advertisement units.

That's the aforesaid doctrine down App Tracking Transparency, a diagnostic introduced successful 2021 that has roiled the online advertizing industry. iPhone owners are asked earlier sharing a unsocial instrumentality recognition fig with apps erstwhile they footwear up — and astir iPhone owners take not to, preventing online advertisers from accurately tracking the show of their ads.

Companies including Facebook genitor Meta person blasted the alteration arsenic anticompetitive. In February, Meta said it would outgo it $10 cardinal this year.

"What we felt is that radical should ain their data, and they should marque their ain decision," Cook said connected Wednesday. "People should beryllium empowered to beryllium capable to marque that determination successful a truly straightforward and elemental manner. Not buried 95 pages heavy successful a privateness argumentation somewhere."

Cook elaborated that Apple follows stricter rules than advertisers and defended the company's hunt ads.

"We've ne'er said integer advertizing is simply a atrocious thing," Cook said. "What is not bully is vacuuming up people's information erstwhile they're not doing truthful connected an informed basis."

Cook was asked if helium saw Apple arsenic a almighty institution that has stepped successful due to the fact that regulators haven't passed privateness laws.

"We're not trying to beryllium a regulator," Cook said. "All we're trying to bash is springiness radical the quality to marque the determination for themselves."