I think the lack of success of iMessage in the rest of the world is the only reason Apple has been able to maintain iMessage as a closed one platform chat proto

I think the lack of success of iMessage in the rest of the world is the only reason Apple has been able to maintain iMessage as a closed one platform chat protocol. Nobody uses iMessage or SMS in the EU these days, but if usage was like in the US then I suspect that Apple would have already been forced long ago to open up or release clients for other platforms. The US is very unlikely to make demands, but the EU doesn't mess around with this kind of thing. Of course, knowing Apple, they might also respond to such a scenario by removing iMessage on EU phones and keeping it the same in the US. It sucks, but I understand why someone might be forced to swap to a specific product or device for social reasons. Shame though.