Elon Musk says he'd consider 'alternative phone' if Twitter is booted from Apple and Google app stores

Fox News ^ | NOVEMBER 25 2022 | Adam Sabes

[SmokingJoe]

Musk said that he'd make an 'alternative phone' if there's 'no other choic

Twitter Chief Elon Musk says he'd consider making an "alternative phone" in the event that Twitter is removed from the Apple App Store and Google Play.

Musk made the comments on Friday night in response to conservative commentator Liz Wheeler, who tweeted, "If Apple & Google boot Twitter from their app stores, @elonmusk should produce his own smartphone. Half the country would happily ditch the biased, snooping iPhone & Android. The man builds rockets to Mars, a silly little smartphone should be easy, right?"

"I certainly hope it does not come to that," Musk replied, "but, yes, if there is no other choice, I will make an alternative phone."

Musk's comments come after Phil Schiller, an Apple fellow who's responsible for leading the App Store, deleted his Twitter account.

Yoel Roth, former head of trust and safety at Twitter, said in a New York Times op-ed that the social media giant risks being expelled from Apple and Google's app stores if they fail to adhere to guidelines.

"Failure to adhere to Apple’s and Google’s guidelines would be catastrophic, risking Twitter’s expulsion from their app stores and making it more difficult for billions of potential users to get Twitter’s services. This gives Apple and Google enormous power to shape the decisions Twitter makes," Roth said.

[SmokingJoe]

Liz Wheeler
· Nov 25, 2022
@Liz_Wheeler
· Follow
If Apple & Google boot Twitter from their app stores, @elonmusk should produce his own smartphone. Half the country would happily ditch the biased, snooping iPhone & Android. The man builds rockets to Mars, a silly little smartphone should be easy, right?

Elon Musk @elonmusk · Follow I certainly hope it does not come to that, but, yes, if there is no other choice, I will make an alternative phone 10:25 PM · Nov 25, 2022

I'd back Musk in any fight with Apple, any day any time.

[monkeyshine]

I don’t use Twitter. But if Apple and Google ban it, I’d buy Musk’s phone on sheer principle.

[fightin kentuckian]

If Elon got into the phone business I’m sure he’d make one better than apple and android. I think they realize that.

[glorgau]

There are rival phone designs out there already. If push came to show, something could probably make it to market in less than a year.

The whole ecosystem thing is another issue. I’d bet that the best way around those would be to run apple and android apps in a sandbox on the new SpaceX OS.

[2banana]

Maybe a phone based on privacy?

[rigelkentaurus]

Google views its users as their product, if Musk creates a phone, it surely cannot be worse and likely would be an upgrade. I would be very motivated to give it a very serious look with the expectation I would switch.

[butlerweave]

I thought he already makes a smartphone

[tennmountainman]

Yep.
That Gay running Apple and that Indian running Google are about to open
a can of worms for themselves and their investors and shareholders.
My money is on Musk.

[Da Coyote]

I’m in for a Muskphone. And a Muskpod. And an iMisk. I have Apple, and am happy with their stuff, but detest their wokeness. Elon, please consider doing a company that was like Apple when it was run by a real leader.

[HYPOCRACY]

Google and Apple acting like petulant children. How hard is it to go to Twitter.com and download the app from there?

[LegendHasIt]

Go for it Elon.

There are a couple of phone companies out there that have already done the groundwork but need economies of scale to be successful. At least one is a Linux based phone, and there is at least one more that runs on some OS designed for privacy, but I forgot what.

[Chgogal]

I am in! Go on Apple, ban Twitter. I will be out of Apple World if an excellent Elon Phone is available. The epsilon phone aka Elon Pone aka ePhone.

[Drago]

Several privacy focused/open-source cell phone alternates out there already:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_open-source_mobile_phones

https://vpnoverview.com/privacy/devices/the-best-secure-smartphones-for-privacy/

https://www.pine64.org/pinephonepro/

https://shop.puri.sm/shop/librem-5/

[Lazamataz]

I’d immediately buy one.

[escapefromboston]

Don’t we have antitrust laws for this sorta thing?

[BereanBrain]

Bring it. I am waiting. IOS and Android have been devolving for years.

[tomkat]

Assuming I’m still alive, I’ll buy one cuz I despise both Goolag and Apple.

[Soul of the South]

“I’d back Musk in any fight with Apple, any day any time.”

The EU has slowly been chipping away at Apple’s proprietary ecosystem. Tim Cook, Apple CEO, is probably smart enough to realize if he bans Twitter from the app store, and prevents Apple device users from downloading apps directly from Twitter, he may find courts are not sympathetic. The EU may also start examining restrictive policies with respect to downloading and installing apps.

The app stores are significant revenue producers for the phone makers.

[Rio]

From Tesla. So far just a rumor:

[CatOwner]

If he does, what OS is it based on?