HIGHLIGHTS
- Shortly after its Android phone introduction, Beeper Mini ceased to function.
- It appears that Apple has really blocked access to it, citing concerns about privacy.
- In order for people to text iMessage users, Beeper is still working to resolve the problem.
It seems like Apple is doing everything in its power to suppress third-party iMessage apps. Beeper, a startup, just released “Beeper Mini,” an Android software that allows you to text users of iMessage. This joy, though, was short-lived when the software began experiencing server outages, most likely due to Apple blocking iMessage access.
Apple vs Beeper Mini
On December 9th, Beeper users began reporting problems with their inability to send or receive messages. Our program too displayed the same error message, “failed to lookup on server: lookup request timed out.” After admitting to the problem, Beeper began to post on X (Twitter) indicating that a patch was being developed. It was able to resolve the problem, but only momentarily. Messages are not being transmitted, and the Beeper Mini continues to malfunction.
Apple’s statement
Apple released a statement explaining why it has restricted access to iMessage, even though it hasn’t specifically referenced Beeper.
At Apple, we build our products and services with industry-leading privacy and security technologies designed to give users control of their data and keep personal information safe. We took steps to protect our users by blocking techniques that exploit fake credentials in order to gain access to iMessage. These techniques posed significant risks to user security and privacy, including the potential for metadata exposure and enabling unwanted messages, spam, and phishing attacks. We will continue to make updates in the future to protect our users.
In essence, Beeper reverse-engineered the iMessage protocol to make its software capable of cross-platform communications. Thus, unlike all the other apps, Beeper Mini uses a Mac Mini located in a data center as a relay instead of a Mac server. Eric Migicovsky, the CEO of Beeper, added, “And when you send a message, you’re actually sending a message to the Mac Mini, which then forwards it to iMessage.”
Additionally, the business made clear that since its software is end-to-end encrypted, neither Apple nor Beeper can see your conversations. However, Apple has made it quite clear that it would not jeopardize user privacy by permitting a third-party software to get around iMessage’s servers. Despite this, Beeper is not giving up and has even restated that their software offers safer communications than unencrypted SMS. However, it appears that Apple will no longer permit access to iMessage.
Apple is finally being a little more flexible by implementing RCS (Rich Communication Services) next year, even though iMessage will still only work with iPhones. Android users will be able to message more safely and effectively with RCS on iPhones. However, it won’t produce the blue bubbles either.
