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I think Facebook has 2 or 3 targets here. They want to force Apple to open up the restriction on the App Store. Apple has been slowly turning the screws making
by ogre_codes 6y ago
I think Facebook has 2 or 3 targets here.
They want to force Apple to open up the restriction on the App Store. Apple has been slowly turning the screws making it more and more difficult to get information out of the phone. I'm not sure Facebook is going to be able to get that, but I suspect they have a plan B which is iMessage.
iMessage is Apple's secret "Social Network". When I quit Facebook, it's what I turned to, and I know a lot of people who rely on it as their primary way of keeping in touch with friends/ family and the increasing functionality of iMessage is becoming more of a threat to FB.
While Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp and all the other messaging apps have to beg to get access to Photos, Location, ApplePay, cameras, FaceId, etc, with iMessage everything is permitted out of the box. Apple has a whole mini-App Store for iMessage which isn't really possible with Facebook.
Finally, I'm sure Facebook would absolutely love to open up their own Ad-supported App Store which tracks everyone to their hearts content. Piles of money building an App Store, particularly when someone else is building the whole tool-chain to make it work and you just have to serve up the content.
- asiachick 6y agoYou must only have privileged friends and family. None of my family has an iPhone. They are all android. So they can't run iMessage. It seems improbable that 100% of your family and friends are all iPhone. Or maybe you just decided if they didn't get an iPhone they weren't worth connecting with?
- ogre_codes 6y agoI have friends with Android. I just use SMS talking to them... which is accessed via iMessage as well. The experience is a little bit less nice.
- mr_toad 6y ago> Or maybe you just decided if they didn't get an iPhone they weren't worth connecting with? Anecdotally I have heard of kids and teenagers doing that. Sending a green message marks you out as a scrub.
- tech234a 6y ago> I'm sure Facebook would absolutely love to open up their own Ad-supported App Store which tracks everyone to their hearts content. Facebook appears not to have attempted this yet on Android, where it would be technically possible, though it would likely require sideloading. Perhaps the steps to sideload an app on Android would create too much friction for a Facebook app store to gain traction? However, Facebook's "internet.org Free Basics" initiative [1], which is available in countries where internet access is generally more costly, has some similarities to an app store. Facebook approves or denies the inclusion of various websites, sets technical and content requirements, and operates the proxy through which these websites are accessed. [1]: https://developers.facebook.com/docs/internet-org/gettingstarted https://developers.facebook.com/docs/internet-org/gettingsta...
- throwawayboise 6y agoA more realistic approach might be for Facebook to develop their own phone and mobile OS, with an app store to go along with it. I don't think alternate app stores for other platforms that already have their own "authorized" app stores is an idea with any legs, due to the friction you mention.
- sangnoir 6y ago> Facebook appears not to have attempted this yet on Android, where it would be technically possible, though it would likely require sideloading. Facebook went above and beyond that - they effectively commissioned HTC to build a Facebook phone[1], which thankfully flopped 1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HTC_First https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HTC_First