The European Union has made a decision on whether Apple should be required to open up iMessage to competitors, and it turns out that the tech giant won this battle. The E.U. has chosen not to classify iMessage as a “gatekeeper” under the new Digital Markets Act, meaning Apple does not have to make iMessage available to rival messaging apps.

This decision also applies to Microsoft’s Bing search engine, Edge browser, and advertising network, which will not be held accountable as gatekeepers either.

Although Apple and Microsoft have emerged victorious in this particular investigation, it’s important to note that the E.U. still considers them gatekeepers in other areas such as app stores and operating systems. As a result, both companies will need to comply with new regulations by March 2024 when the Digital Markets Act goes into effect.

Many were expecting iMessage to be opened up to competitors and forced to interoperate with Android if the decision had gone against Apple. However, with the current outcome, we can only hope for Apple to fulfill its promise of adding RCS functionality to iOS’s Messages app.

While this solution may not be as ideal as full interoperability between iOS and Android messaging platforms, it’s certainly better than being limited to traditional SMS. This decision means that for now, we’ll have to live with the ongoing debate of green bubbles vs blue bubbles. Although Apple has won this time around, it’s clear that there will likely be more discussions about tech regulation for major platform services like iMessage in the future.