Apple Wins Lawsuit Claiming Messages to Android were Blocked

Apple Wins Lawsuit Claiming Messages to Android were Blocked
A judge has dismissed a lawsuit claiming that Apple intercepted iMessages headed to people who switched to Android.

You certainly have reason to be upset at how Apple handled iMessages for users switching away from iOS, but it's clear that not everyone has raised those gripes the right way. Judge Lucy Koh (from the Apple-versus-Samsung case) has dismissed a lawsuit arguing that Apple effectively wiretapped iMessage chats to prevent them from reaching Android users. There's no mention of the reasons for dismissal in the court order. However, Apple had asked the judge to toss the case when it learned that two of the plaintiffs dumped their iPhones after the case began -- they'd eliminated important evidence.

As it stands, the wiretapping connection was strained. The issue wasn't that Apple was looking at and blocking iMessages, but rather that it didn't have a way to deliver those texts when recipients ditched their iPhones without deactivating iMessage first. Think of it as moving without leaving a forwarding address -- the post office can't give you a letter if it still thinks you're at your old place. This doesn't excuse the headaches involved with ditching iOS, but it's clear that this suit didn't have much chance of success.