WhatsApp gets ready to support iMessage, Apple prepares to launch iPhone 15
The hugely popular instant messaging platform WhatsApp appears to be getting its ducks in a row, ready to open its apps up to support for third-party messaging services like Apple’s iMessage. The move comes as the European Union’s Digital Markets Act (DMA) gets ready to come into force in March 2024. The EU recently confirmed that it has added Meta to a list of so-called gatekeepers, a move which means that Meta and others on the list will have to open up their services to allow them to work with competing products. WhatsApp falls squarely into that category, while the people behind the DMA have confirmed that they are taking another look at iMessage to see if it too should be added to the list. Pocket Lint
As I write this there are still several hours before Apple unveils the latest version of its best-selling product, the iPhone. In the last few weeks we’ve seen the handset come under pressure separately from both the EU and China. Globally, smartphone sales in general are slowing, and Apple’s highly anticipated virtual reality headset – which the firm seemed to be positioning as a potential future iPhone – won’t go on sale until next year. When it does it will have a whopping $3,500 (£2,780) price tag. And so, in the meantime, we get to meet the 16th generation of a device which changed the smartphone landscape forever when it launched in 2007. BBC
A landmark antitrust lawsuit against Google begins today, with the California-based company accused of using illegal means to keep its monopoly power. The historic legal battle against federal government lawyers – which comes just a week after Google’s 25th birthday – is set to be the biggest in almost two decades, the outcome of which could have repercussions for the rest of the tech industry. The last comparable antitrust lawsuit was filed against Microsoft in 1998. Sky News
If you’re a smartwatch wearer, you might be harbouring harmful germs that could get you very sick. A study by researchers at Florida Atlantic University found that 95% of 20 different smartwatch wristbands tested were contaminated with bacteria capable of causing disease. By analysing different types of wristband materials, researchers found that rubber and plastic bands had the most bacteria on them, while metal bands like gold and silver were virtually free from bacteria. Metro
Stellantis is targeting a 50% weight reduction in batteries by 2030 in a bid to lighten electric cars nearer to their combustion-engined equivalents. “The battery today is just too heavy; the vehicle is too heavy. We shouldn’t be going backwards,” said Ned Curic, head of engineering and technology, at the opening of the company’s new Mirafiori battery technology centre in Turin, Italy. Curic said the company’s goal was to halve the weight of the battery pack through the introduction of new lightweight battery technologies and more efficient cell packaging. Autocar
The head of Spotify has denied claims that users can repeatedly listen to their own uploaded 30-second track to rake in monthly royalties. Finance analysts at JP Morgan had said that Spotify subscribers could make $1,200 (£960) a month by listening to their song on repeat, 24 hours a day. The claim suggested Spotify’s royalty payment structure could be manipulated. But Daniel Ek, the streaming giant’s CEO, says that is not how the platform’s royalties work. BBC
