Another example of Apple further entrenching its monopoly -- Like other permission prompts, I bet Apple exclude their own apps from asking for this.
I bet iMessage doesn't ask you if it's allowed to access your contacts, in the same way that Photos doesn't ask you which photos you want Apple to know about. That would be an unacceptable user experience for Apple, but acceptable for 3rd party apps.
This seems to be a constantly overlooked part of the permissions discussion. I'm all in favor of Apple changing the rules on their platform to whatever they like, as long as their own apps have to play by the same rules.
Instead, they use permissions to advantage their apps over the competition.
No users think the Apple device with the Apple Contacts app is or should be hiding Apple Contacts app contacts from Apple Mail or Apple Messages app. If you don't want your contacts in the Apple suite, don't put them in the Apple suite.
Similarly, if you use Microsoft Contacts, you assume you see those in Microsoft Outlook and Microsoft Teams, and their devices using their OS.
Similarly for Google's suite, and their devices using their OS.
There are other Contacts apps, such as Clay (from clay.earth) that have other sets of contacts and can sync with still other contacts stores such as, say, LinkedIn. Those aren't visible to Messages without an affirmative action, so Apple is not advantaging itself.
If you're arguing that application suites aren't allowed, any number of users are going to be very annoyed with you.
If you're arguing that nobody can make both hardware and productivity assistant suite combined, you're either saying the PDA doesn't have a right to exist, or, saying that forcing the PDA to be open to other apps on the PDA in turn means the PDA isn't allowed to be an integrated suite now that it's open, and, I guess, saying Microsoft can't make Windows or Surface unless they spin off Office or damage what they make till none of it talks to each other seamlessly?
This entire line of thinking, that nobody's allowed to offer a seamless experience, seems like overregulation of what consumers are allowed to choose and buy.
The line of thinking here is that Apple should play fair. The power of defaults is very strong.
Most iOS users aren't going to be thinking of "Contacts" as "Apple Contacts". It's just the contacts on their phone. It's their contacts, not Apple's.
I think Apple should absolutely have to use the same permission prompts as 3rd party developers -- because this aligns the incentives to design a great user experience.
Instead, they have no incentive to design these prompts and APIs well -- in fact, a disincentive.
> No users think the Apple device with the Apple Contacts app is or should be hiding Apple Contacts app contacts from Apple Mail or Apple Messages app.
I am a user and you are wrong.
I absolutely want every app, regardless of vendor, to be sandboxed from each other. Without explicit permission, I don't want Mail or Messages to know that I have a contact card for the peer.
I bet iMessage doesn't ask you if it's allowed to access your contacts, in the same way that Photos doesn't ask you which photos you want Apple to know about. That would be an unacceptable user experience for Apple, but acceptable for 3rd party apps.
This seems to be a constantly overlooked part of the permissions discussion. I'm all in favor of Apple changing the rules on their platform to whatever they like, as long as their own apps have to play by the same rules.
Instead, they use permissions to advantage their apps over the competition.