Got a tip for us?
Let us know
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
All-in-One Chat App 'Beeper' Brings iMessage to Android and Windows Using Workaround
- Thread starter MacRumors
- Start date
- Sort by reaction score
I can imagine too people with little to no technical knowledge calling Apple when it stops working.
I was mistaken. It was FaceTime. Someone corrected me earlier.
In all fairness, the long term goal of what Beeper tries to achieve is great. One messaging protocol to communicate with everyone. Remembering who is on what network and which channel to use is becoming a huge problem. Tech is getting in the way. So, I do hope they succeed, but they need a free price point if they ever want to make a chance.
I'm deep in the Apple ecosystem, and I'm still interested. I live in Europe where almost no-one uses iMessage. Everybody has FB Messenger and Whatsapp, and just recently there's an increased interest in Signal and Telegram. But I don't want to carry around 5 messenger apps.
If I could integrate them all in one, I'm all for it. I would no longer have to think about which channel to use to contact a friend or group.
In a perfect world where everyone uses iMessage except that one loser friend with an Android or Windows device, I understand your point. But most of the world is not like that and iMessage is not used a lot.
I get that but from an American perspective and even a general consensus perspective nobody is going to pay $10 for an average at best experience which will likely get blocked by Apple since it is against their terms of service I’d imagine.
and this is coming from the girl who was a big windows phone fan and had to use third party apps to be able to use tinder, Snapchat and YouTube. I get the need for it but I also don’t support it because it seems like a security risk.
that’s the beauty of a smartphone. You don’t have to use iMessage. Many friends of mine I don’t have their numbers. We talk on snap. We talk on messenger. Kik. Twitter. Insta Etc etc.
It’s 2021. There’s a universal app we all use that at least one of us has so if we neee a group chat we likely have it. Sms still works for group chats.
You know what is interesting about that 'iMessage is not used a lot' or the 'OMG *everyone* uses iMessage'....is perspective.
I first implemented AirMessage when I was using my work Galaxy Note a lot more, and carrying my personal iPhone less. I thought I'd miss iMessage....and I did for bit. With AirMessage I found myself still using iMessage quite a lot as I perceived *everyone* (as in my friends circle) used it.
Here I am 18 months later and I rarely use it, yet I still talk to the same group of people just as regularly and just don't think about it.
I first implemented AirMessage when I was using my work Galaxy Note a lot more, and carrying my personal iPhone less. I thought I'd miss iMessage....and I did for bit. With AirMessage I found myself still using iMessage quite a lot as I perceived *everyone* (as in my friends circle) used it.
Here I am 18 months later and I rarely use it, yet I still talk to the same group of people just as regularly and just don't think about it.
There’s no reason why in 2021 communication channels like direct chat should be proprietary. Similar to email, there should be an open protocol for chat, and then it doesn’t matter what client you use.
This is the long term vision of Beeper. They do support the open Matrix protocol but also current proprietary protocols using bridges. Over time people should move away from them and use the open protocol.
That way there will be a boost in client app innovation, universal search becomes possible, snoozing work chats, etc. And you don’t need to think about the envelope and channel, only the message content.
But you are definitely right that they will never realise this vision if it costs 10 dollars a month while the current offerings are free.
Last edited:
Exactly. I need to have Telegram, Whatsapp, FB Messenger, Hangouts etc.
I would love single app that can integrate all into one. I know, that there are already multiservices apps like Franz, but it's only web interface in Electron app.
iMessage and it’s features are proprietary and should be so. I don’t see an issue with any software or program having exclusive features when you can still use traditional sms.
I'm thinking from a very egoistic perspective. Larger proportion of friends using iMessage is generally better. By opening it up to Android users, Apple users won't need WhatsApp or similar isnt installed (and have data mined) to effectively share images, videos.It doesn't ruin the experience for or my friends who use Android. For them to integrate into that App would require them to support RCS which they are not going to be doing. Somethings should remain exclusive to Apple only. But it's nice to know not everyone agrees which me and that is swell
I understand the argument that iMessage is what might keep some on the platform, but frankly I don't think a nerfed version for Android challenge iPhone sales too much.
Afaik that was FaceTime. Before iMessage was iMessage (and introduced to the world) they tried to have it as the new texting standard to replace SMS and showed it off to carriers, who then literally told them to **** off cause of E2EE (and potentially little control over it, unlike RCS where they can do whatever). That‘s when they decided to do iMessage.
There is an interesting interview with Scott Forstall about this very topic from a few years ago.
No, but I've followed Apple long enough to know that they will use just about any means possible to shut things like this down. They will likely use the fact that the company is sending you a jailbroken device, calling it a DMCA violation.
Case in point, here they are suing Corellium for what Apple sees as helping to facilitate jailbreaking. They said this was a DMCA violation.
Apple targets jailbreaking in lawsuit against iOS virtualization company
Or if you'd like a trip down memory lane, there's the time Apple sued Psystar for selling the Open Computer, which was basically a Hackintosh. Even though the company legally purchased copies of OS X, Apple said it was a license and DMCA violation.Apple wins key battle against Psystar over Mac clones
The morale of the story is, if you find a way to get around the way Apple wants you do things, and you try to sell that to other people, Apple will find a way to sue you.
I thought for a while you could add AIM. Maybe that was with iChat?