Apple Seeks Talks With TRAI To Resolve DND App Deadlock
Apple reaches out to TRAI on further talks on the DND app.
Apple Inc. has reached out to India's telecom regulator to offer some proposals in the ongoing tiff between the two parties over the DND (do not disturb) Services app, TRAI Chairman RS Sharma told BloombergQuint.
“Apple did write us a letter saying they want to share some of the suggestions they have. And we have decided that we will certainly discuss with them. I've asked my officers to invite them and talk to them,” Sharma said.
The friction between Apple and the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India is over the regulator’s DND app aimed at blocking spam messages and pesky callers. The application, available on the Android platform, requires access to a customer’s call logs, messages and other details. More than a year into its launch, the app is yet to make its debut on Apple’s App Store.
On whether the regulator is still seeking access to Apple's private Application Programming Interfaces, or backdoor entry in popular parlance, the TRAI chairman said, “We are interested in finding a solution. We are saying that for your own customers, you should enable the API that they are able to send those SMSes or details about those calls which they receive and consider to be intrusive or pesky.” The Tim Cook-led company has not given the regulator any confirmation in his regard, Sharma added.
BloombergQuint is still awaiting a response from Apple.
Apple rejects applications built on private APIs, a set of protocols and tools used to build apps. The company insists that third-party developers must use public APIs, as this offers in-built encryption and an enhanced user experience.
This is why many apps work differently on Android and iOS. To illustrate, popular caller ID app Truecaller identifies an unknown caller and displays the name on the screen immediately of an Android phone. On an iPhone, the app is not as intrusive and perhaps as convenient. Instead, a user needs to copy the unknown number individually and search for it in the Truecaller database.
TRAI Chairman RS Sharma had earlier accused the tech giant of being “anti-consumer” in India and engaging in “data colonisation”, according to a report in the Times of India.
Also Read: TRAI Vs Apple: The Data Wars Begin?
What Does TRAI’s DND App Do?
Google’s Play Store describes the DND Services App as one that enables Android phone users to register their mobile number under DND, “to avoid Unsolicited Commercial Communication (UCC)/ Telemarketing Calls / SMS.”
The updated version of the app has the following features:
- An intelligent spam detection engine (for SMS only) to assist the subscriber in reporting
- Crowdsourcing of data about offensive messages and calls to speed up detection of unregistered telemarketers
- Updates about action taken on complaints within the App
- Easier interface and set up