Apple sued over iMessage texting snafu

The iMessage issue that has been gathering attention in recent times is the source of a new lawsuit against Apple, with a former iPhone owner pursuing litigation after being unable to receive text messages on her new Android handset. The lawsuit was filed in California yesterday.

The issue is a frustrating, if not relatively simple, matter involving difficulty de-registering numbers from iMessage. When an iPhone user defects to an Android handset, they can text their iPhone-toting contacts with no trouble.

When that contact fires back a response, however, Messages sees the number as being associated with iMessage, and so replies using that service. The result is the new Android user never receives the text message on their Android smartphone.

The lawsuit related to this is seeking class-action status, with no damages having yet been specified. The basis for the lawsuit is the claim that users are "penalized and unable to obtain the full benefits of their wireless-service contracts."

SOURCE: Bloomberg