As smartphones become the dominant means of communication for many people, the pitched battle between platform providers is fought to lock users into their digital ecosystem. Some – like Microsoft’s Nokia X – are offering people a way out of a Google world with which many have grown disillusioned. It’s fascinating to watch, but such aggressive competition can be a headache for anyone who does make the leap and switch to another service provider. Cross-platform support is woefully inadequate.

A perfect example of this careless approach emerged this week, as iPhone owners who switched to Android found they could no longer receive text messages via the iMessage app – despite Apple’s SMS service claiming cross-platform capabilities.

The problems dates back to an old bug in the system that stems from the way iMessage was developed. As a separate messing system with end to end encryption, anyone who signs up is assured a high level of security. Their number is stored in a separate database, accesses only when another Apple device sends them a message. Other iPhone users can share text messages for free using the app, but for numbers not in the database, a charge-carrying SMS is sent instead.

Fine, but what happens when you switch to a new device? Oblivious, your contacts send you a text via iMessage, which searches for your Apple ID and keeps trying to send you an iMessage instead of an SMS. Neither type of message gets through.

Understandably upset defectors have initiated a class action lawsuit against Apple, which experts believe may ultimately involve thousands of litigants. The suit requests that Apple fix iMessage to allow users to exit the ecosystem without problems, and also seeks punitive damages. 

According to Apple, the only fix for the bug is to have every contact delete and re-add your name to their own contacts. This is an unwieldy ‘solution’ that will cause more problems than it solves. We wait with bated breath to see if Apple offers a more satisfactory answer…