Mark Zuckerberg says iMessage is less secure than WhatsApp

The heads of WhatsApp and parent company Meta have opened another round of verbal jousting over who has the best and most secure messaging service. Like before, the main flashpoints are cloud backup security and cross-platform interoperability.

This week’s new advertisement for WhatsApp is the latest jab at Apple for refusing to extend encrypted messaging and other features to non-Apple platforms. On social media, Mark Zuckerberg and WhatsApp boss Will Cathcart contrasted the app’s latest features with iMessage

An ad above the entrance to Pennsylvania Station shows three message bubbles in different colors. One is green to represent SMS or MMS messages appearing on iPhones, and one is blue to represent iMessage.

A third is white and labeled “Private Bubble” to characterize WhatsApp and its privacy features. The ad implies that iMessage’s restriction to iPhones makes it less secure than WhatsApp.

Apple’s messaging service features end-to-end encryption when all users in a conversation use Apple devices. However, iPhones revert to unencrypted SMS or MMS texting with Android phones. On Instagram and Twitter, Zuckerberg and Cathcart mentioned WhatsApp’s end-to-end encryption, which extends to cross-platform conversations.