Apple Puts a Stop to Beeper Mini's iMessage for Android Feature

[MacRumors]

Apple appears to have closed the loophole that Beeper Mini used to bring iMessage to Android, putting a stop to blue bubbles from Android devices. Beeper Mini quit working earlier today, with users receiving "failed to lookup on server: lookup request timed out" error messages.

Beeper said on Twitter that it is investigating the issue, but Beeper CEO Eric Migicovsky told TechCrunch that "all data" suggests that Apple has in fact found a way to stop Beeper Mini from working.

Introduced on Tuesday, Beeper Mini used reverse engineered iMessage protocols and encryption, taking advantage of Apple's own iMessage servers to allow Android users to send blue bubble iMessages to iPhone users. The app supported all iMessage functionality, including read receipts, typing indicators, reactions, and more.

Beeper Mini did not require an Apple ID, a departure from other, less secure iMessage on Android apps like Sunbird. The way Beeper Mini functioned was explained in-depth in a blog post, giving Apple insight into how it worked. Beeper Mini was using reverse engineering from security researcher jjtech, who also outlined his methodology and shared a proof-of-concept iMessage implementation on Github.

The app communicated directly with Apple's iMessage servers, and registered the phone numbers of Beeper users as iMessage users to allow for blue bubble access. After Beeper Mini's launch, there was immediate speculation that Apple would shut it down, but it was not clear if Apple would be able to do so given the way that it mimicked actual iMessage users.

Apple appears to have found a way, so this could be the end of Beeper Mini. Migicovsky told TechCrunch that the company will "evaluate options" to figure out what it means for the future of the app.

Article Link: Apple Puts a Stop to Beeper Mini's iMessage for Android Feature

 

[killawat]

Party's Over.

 

[Mr. Awesome]

Who could’ve seen this one coming?

 

[breenmask]

good. shut it down.

 

[mrat93]

Not surprising. I just wish Apple would quash this ridiculous issue by releasing iMessage for Android.

 

[Ivander]

And I'm glad they did that.

 

[killawat]

The CEO was almost doing a press evangelism tour about how Apple wouldn't be able to touch his solution and wasn't morally justified in doing so. he poked the bear then twisted its arm.

edit: link to the video

 

[zilchfox]

This was expected.

 

[missingar]

good. shut it down.

Thank God now apple won't have to actually come up with any actual compelling features for iPhone 16 and can keep releasing the same phone again for years to come with the knowledge that users are safely locked into their ecosystem. What a relief for us all.

 

[ItsASpider]

This is a great way for Apple to paint a target on their own back while the EU is looking at whether or not iMessage is a gatekeeper. May come to regret this.

 

[ReliableSource]

I don’t have a dog in this fight (though I do have a big family group chat that has one Android user so we can’t send any photos or videos in it lest they be compressed beyond usability), but it seems like… why would anyone have thought that this would last and that paying for it would be a good idea? It was annoying to have to download WhatsApp to have certain group chats, but at least it’s free and it’s not on shaky ground

 

[vertsix]

That was fast.

 

[Art Mark]

why does anyone care about a blue bubble??? I miss why this is an issue...

 

[mikethebigo]

That's shocking

 

[Maclver]

I mean if you want iMessage get an iPhone... Back in the day, people couldn't have Blackberry Messenger on whatever device they wanted... Same way I can't buy Target branded products at Walmart.

 

[Corefile]

Steve said it would be open sourced. Still waiting...

 

[BaldiMac]

Steve said it would be open sourced. Still waiting...

You're probably thinking of his promise to make FaceTime an open standard.

 

[Ivander]

 

[RSmith2023]

Not surprising. I just wish Apple would quash this ridiculous issue by releasing iMessage for Android.

Why develop and app for Android that they will then have to support, when they have already announced that iMessage will support RCS next year (translation in iOS 18)? Google has been lobbying for this for years and it's finally gonna happen.

Once that happens an app like this will be unnecessary. Why spend development cycles on it? Why spend your money on it?

They can hold out just a little bit longer and in the meantime, use one of the myriad of cross platform apps already available.

 

[Apple Fan 2008]

Not surprised, this looked like a privacy nightmare.

 

[PlayUltimate]

You're probably thinking of his promise to make FaceTime an open standard.

Lawsuit prevented that.
why Apple has yet to make . . .

 

[mashdots]

I mean if you want iMessage get an iPhone... Back in the day, people couldn't have Blackberry Messenger on whatever device they wanted... Same way I can't buy Target branded products at Walmart.

This is kind of where i'm at with it. I think if iMessage was an open API with either documentation or pricing or whatever, it would make sense. But this is clearly an Apple service made for Apple devices.

Once that happens an app like this will be unnecessary. Why spend development cycles on it? Why spend your money on it?

Well, I suspect iMessage will still be around because it'll still offer features over RCS. That being said, maintaining an app with pretty deep OS integration for a third party OS doesn't make sense. Especially since iMessage is a big feature in the ecosystem (compared to Music, which they're trying to make available outside of the ecosystem).

said on Twitter

exCUSE me, it's X, the most memorable social media name. have some respect.

 

[Apple_Robert]

Glad to see Apple putting a stop to this app.

 

[DeepWebinar]

to those that are celebrating this— huh?

that’s the most junior high volunteer hall monitor energy imaginable

 

[rjp1]

Actually glad something like this came out. We just all blindly trust that it is E2E encrypted, because Apple said so. Nice to see someone implement a client and prove it actually is.