Meta ratchets up Apple rivalry with ads targeting iMessage

Meta is targeting Apple's iMessage successful a caller advertisement that ratchets up the rivalry betwixt the 2 companies.

On Monday, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg posted a representation of an advertisement successful New York's Penn Station that suggests Meta's WhatsApp is much unafraid and backstage than Apple's messaging strategy and accepted substance messages.

"WhatsApp is acold much backstage and unafraid than iMessage, with end-to-end encryption that works crossed some iPhones and Android, including radical chats," Zuckerberg posted connected Instagram.

End-to-end encryption means that the messaging strategy is built successful a mode that the supplier of the work can't spot the contented of the texts and can't supply them successful effect to a ineligible request. Both WhatsApp and iMessage are encrypted. But, messages and instrumentality backups connected either work mightiness beryllium stored successful a mode that the institution tin entree them. SMS messages are stored by wireless cellular carriers.

WhatsApp introduced encrypted backups past year, Zuckerberg noted. He besides highlighted a diagnostic that allows WhatsApp users to acceptable caller messages to automatically delete.

"All of which iMessage inactive doesn't have," Zuckerberg wrote successful his post. He added that the institution is moving connected end-to-end encryption for Instagram messages successful a comment.

Meta has considered Apple to beryllium a rival for years, adjacent earlier the Facebook genitor institution started moving into machine hardware like its VR headsets. "Our biggest rival by acold is iMessage," Zuckerberg said successful a 2018 net call.

The Meta ads travel aft Google took purpose astatine iMessage's bluish bubbles successful a run of its own implicit the summer. Google wants Apple to follow RCS, a next-generation substance messaging strategy that replaces SMS messages with caller features and improved encryption.

Apple's iMessage is disposable for iPhones, Macs and iPads. Users who substance regularly with Android users accidental that "green bubbles," arsenic SMS messages look connected iPhones, is an inferior texting experience.

Cook was asked if Apple would see adopting RCS astatine a league successful September. The questioner said that helium couldn't nonstop videos to his ma due to the fact that of the limitations of SMS messaging.

Cook said that Apple's users hadn't been asking for improvements and that the champion happening to bash to lick the occupation is to bargain an iPhone.

"Buy your ma an iPhone," Cook said.