Apple CEO Tim Cook, Jony Ive, Laurene Powell Jobs panel interview

Apple Apple isn’t putting much effort into improving the texting experience between iPhones and Android devices because its users aren’t asking for it, CEO Tim Cook said Wednesday.

“I don’t hear our users asking us to put more energy at this point,” Cook said in response to an audience question at Vox Media’s Code conference in Beverly Hills, California. “I want to turn you into an iPhone.”

The answer comes within a month of Google’s launch An advertising campaign should put pressure on Apple.

Currently, texts between iPhones use iMessage, which has a much smoother experience than texting an Android device to an iPhone, where SMS messages are displayed as green bubbles. Google wants Apple to adopt RCS, a form of messaging that is considered a next-generation SMS alternative with encryption and other modern features.

The questioner pressed Cook about not being able to send the videos to his mom because of texting limitations.

“Buy your mom an iPhone,” Cook said.

Cook joins former Apple chief designer Jony Ive and Lauren Powell Jobs to discuss Apple’s founding legacy and make a new announcement. Steve Jobs Archive And a possible documentary.

Apple’s The latest privacy push isn’t a new goal for the company — the thinking actually goes back to founder Steve Jobs, Cook said.

“Steve really instilled in the company in the early days the importance of privacy, and it grew,” Cook said.

Cook cited a 2010 speech by Jobs in which he said privacy means users agree to share their data. “Privacy means people knowing, in plain English, over and over again, what they’re signing up for. That’s what it means,” Jobs said in a speech quoted by Cook.

Cook’s comments come as the company’s privacy push drags on Criticism is growing as self-serving As the company introduces new privacy features that make it harder to measure online advertising, Apple plans to increase the size of its advertising business and Introducing new ad units.

The same philosophy behind App Tracking Transparency, a feature introduced in 2021. Rocked the online advertising industry. iPhone owners are asked before sharing a unique device identification number with apps when they launch — and most iPhone owners choose not to, preventing online advertisers from accurately tracking the performance of their ads.

Companies including Facebook parent Meta have blasted the move as anti-competitive. In February, Meta said it would cost $10 billion this year.

“What we’ve realized is that people need to own their data and make their own decision,” Cook said Wednesday. “People should be empowered to make that decision in a very straightforward and simple way. Not buried 95 pages deep in a privacy policy somewhere.”

Cook elaborated that Apple followed stricter rules than advertisers and protected the company’s search ads.

“We’ve never said that digital advertising is a bad thing,” Cook said. “What’s good is to void people’s data when they’re not doing so on an informed basis.”

Cook was asked if he sees Apple as a powerful company because regulators don’t enforce privacy laws.

“We’re not trying to be a regulator,” Cook said. “What we’re trying to do is give people the ability to make decisions for themselves.”