I don't think most of these top-level commenters get it. The issue isn't just that they don't allow external clients, it's that they privilege iMessage with spe

I don't think most of these top-level commenters get it. The issue isn't just that they don't allow external clients, it's that they privilege iMessage with special API access that other messaging clients don't have, prevent interoperability with other phones by explicitly not supporting RCS, and forcibly bundle the iMessage service, pre-empting consumer choice and suppressing healthy competition by abusing a oligopolistic market position. This is anti-trust 101.