Beeper Mini Brings iMessage to Android With No Need for Apple ID Sign-In

[dba415]

Not all android are cheap but the billion activated devices are in fact cheap and out of date devices.

I have never had any issues sending videos via SMS but usually getting videos from android is terrible and I blame Android.

Doesn't apple degrade the quality of videos sent from an android? So you should blame apple just like Apple is the one who won't implement RCS until now.

 

[scorpio vega]

Doesn't apple degrade the quality of videos sent from an android? So you should blame apple just like Apple is the one who won't implement RCS until now.

I have not had any complaints from anyone about the videos I send.
Also as i said before multiple times, that is what snapchat, messenger or god forbid I need to email someone a large file is for.

There are multiple solutions. You guys seem to just want to Villianize apple( why IDK) lmao. Even if Apple never did RCS...Even if Apple never opens up iMessage....there are literally countless apps that literally are more popular than iMessage to do what you claim that can't be done.

 

[Radon87000]

Apple isn't going to release iMessage for Android. Any potential thought or talk of this is a fantasy. You want the iPhone experience with iMessage? Buy an iPhone. I don't expect Beeper Mini to last long.

Android is a mess of a platform that apart from Samsung devices, is like the dumpster land of mobile devices. Yes you have variety, and it's "open", but what good is that to the consumer if the majority of android devices are trash, lack proper support for software, and don't offer a good experience to the user?

Yes, there are Google Pixel devices with Android. But let's be honest, there is no marketshare or mindshare there apart from the small group of tech reviewers and YouTubers.

I live in one of the most progressive tech cities in the US, and I rarely, if ever, have seen a Google Pixel device more than a handful of times. How many iterations of Google Pixel have we had so far? 7? 8?That's a lot of years and iterations without much market penetration. Samsung, from time to time I see (not as much as I used to during the mid 2010s and up until 2020) --- Apple devices, everywhere and nonstop. It's prolific.

As an anecdote, my local Verizon store staff, which I have a good relationship with as we have several lines with them for business admits that usually 8 to 9 out of 10 device sales are iPhones and the remaining are Samsung.

The marketplace doesn't lie.

I don't think you are aware that the Android landscape has changed a lot over the past few years. Most manufacturers offer 4-5 years of software support. Google offers 8 years even longer than iPhones.

As someone who owns an iPhone 14 Pro Max and an S3 Ultra, iPhones have become boring. It's literally reached the point where they have to replace the frame with substitute materials like titanium to grab headlines.

The good thing about Android is that since manufacturers don't need all their novel ideas to succeed in the first shot like Apple, you get a lot of innovation like the foldable devices

Speaking from experience, Samsung devices are the only ones which hang with iPhones in terms of hardware and software. Google Pixel will never sell well until they stop cutting corners on hardware. The Tensor chip they use in the Pixel 8 is literally a rebranded Exynos chip Samsung abandoned years ago and is terrible in efficiency.

 

[scorpio vega]

Google had the chance to capture all communication, with Google Voice.

They blew it. They blew it COMPLETELY. One of the greatest business screw-ups of our time… of ALL time.


ETA: in fact, Google's messaging shenanigans are what converted me from the greatest Google fan, into just being disgusted with them. Now I'm disgusted with Apple too, but there's nowhere to go.

I wouldn't fully say google Voice was their answer. I think hangouts and duo/allo were good attempts but as per usual with Google they screwed it up. Google voice has always been more about having a secondary line. which i still use from time to time (But Voice sucks because the numbers are Landline based not Mobile based which makes SMS verication difficult).

The only product Google has that is worth any good is Google Fi. I absolutely love and rave about Google Fi all the time. It is who I use now for my mobile carrier on my work line.

Somehow Google hasn't messed up FI.

Youtube is a hot mess these days.

Google search is meh (thank god bing is better than it was) and Gmail is a clunky experience and I refuse to use Chrome aka spyware form Google.

There's so much dilusion when it comes to Android hate. It's nothing like it was a decade or even 5 years ago when android went from really sucked to kind of sucked. It's actually pretty good now, and some of the devices have hardware that I think is more aesthetically pleasing than iPhone.

And the denial that it's Googles fault for not coming up with competition for android when they basically have with RCS, and Apple has completely isolated iphone users from it, is really something else.

There is no disillusioned. You and android fans seem to think that anytime someone criticizes Android, that they don't have experience with it. I have plenty.
The OS is better than it was 5-8 years ago but the OS still feels unrefined to me.

Android has always been an OS that can do many many things and I have never denied that. Android has capabilities that iPhone doesn't have. The key difference being that Android does many things but does very little actually good.

The level of support I get with Apple is amazing. From OS update to simpy being able to walk into an Apple store to handle any tech issues I may have. The fact that the entire ecosystem cohesively works together.

I can be using a 1st GEn iPhone SE and stll be able to tap fully within the apple ecosystem with very few compromises.

Even on Android, depending on WHAT android you get you're still fragmented. Android watches are terrible and can't compare to Apple watch. Chromebooks are highly useless compared to Mac or Windows, for my use anyway. Android tablets...no.

I am perfectly fine "with a walled garden" that restricts when the Product I pay for simply works out the box.

I could easily afford to go buy a Galaxy Fold tomorrow if i really wanted to...full price. But i don't need to becuase the OS (And Samsung especially) just is tacky to me.

 

[Radon87000]

As an Android user, this thread is hilarious. One developer trying to make an Android app doesn't make all us Android users desperate. I live outside the US and couldn't care less about this drama as everyone uses WhatsApp.

 

[sideshowuniqueuser]

The kid who put this together is using apple binaries from macos to make it work. Even hosts them on his github account (dumb)

GitHub - JJTech0130/nacserver

Contribute to JJTech0130/nacserver development by creating an account on GitHub.

github.com

He also has to fake being an apple device using real device identifiers.

pypush/emulated/data.plist at main · JJTech0130/pypush

Cross-platform iMessage POC. Contribute to JJTech0130/pypush development by creating an account on GitHub.

github.com

My bet is that apple just bans any devices/accounts that connect using this method.

You're also trusting some highschool kid to get end-to-end encryption right.

Lol, as opposed to trusting some big corporation with their closed source encryption to actually even do what they claim, let alone get it right.

 

[sideshowuniqueuser]

I just tried and wow...it really works well and VERY simple to setup.

This is a game changer. Lol. My iPhone friends were like...welcome back. And I'm laughing because I'm sending it from my Android phone.

One of these days, the iPhone users are gonna start realising that the iPhone is no longer the best phone.

Regardless, I have no idea why the US has this weird bubble snobbery. In Australia, you'd be laughed at, and called a w*nker for thinking you're better than someone because of the phone brand you choose. No one cares over here. Well, possibly the occasional total w*nker, but they don't even count. I'm defo not aware of anyone who thinks like that. Besides, everyone mostly uses all the other various apps for messaging anyway - insta, fb, snap, whatsapp, we're all pretty much agnostic about it.

 

[sideshowuniqueuser]

I heard kids in high school actually get bullied over having "green bubbles".

It's the stupidest thing ever, but I guess kids will always find things to be cruel over, no matter how trivial. iPhones aren't even an indicator of wealth anymore; anyone can get a used SE or other older iPhone for cheap.

I can smell another school massacre brewing!

Yeah, and plenty of Androids are the same price as the most expensive iPhones. Nothing glam about it anymore.

 

[scorpio vega]

I don't think you are aware that the Android landscape has changed a lot over the past few years. Most manufacturers offer 4-5 years of software support. Google offers 8 years even longer than iPhones.

As someone who owns an iPhone 14 Pro Max and an S3 Ultra, iPhones have become boring. It's literally reached the point where they have to replace the frame with substitute materials like titanium to grab headlines.

The good thing about Android is that since manufacturers don't need all their novel ideas to succeed in the first shot like Apple, you get a lot of innovation like the foldable devices

Speaking from experience, Samsung devices are the only ones which hang with iPhones in terms of hardware and software. Google Pixel will never sell well until they stop cutting corners on hardware. The Tensor chip they use in the Pixel 8 is literally a rebranded Exynos chip Samsung abandoned years ago and is terrible in efficiency.

The fact you think it's good android OEMs can bomb on their first shot with ideas is a bit....weird. LMAO, that essentially proves that Apple is held to a higher standard where failure is not an option and it's okay if Android does fail because they fail often. You do realize Foldable phones/Dual Screen phones made their first debut back in 2010 with the Kyocera Echo lol. I literally was one of the only 10 people to own the first foldable android.

Also, most OEMs guarantee that on their Flagship devices. The bulk of Android devices sold are not actually Galaxy Folds or S23...they are lower end. Samsungs A line sells more combined together than the Galaxy S line. the iphone is still outselling Samsung Galaxy line.

OEMs are still releasing hardware with outdated Android versions (Android 12 is over 2 years old now...some even with 11) and you MAY get one major update and even then when you get that update you still likely will be outdated.

Google is offering 8 years of updates (Great for them. I hear their customer support is TERRIBLE for people who brought Foldable devices). Apple usually only guarantees about 5 years but it has also supported the iphone 6s for 7 major updates from 9 to 15 so it is not actually out of the realm that they could do it again.

 

[scorpio vega]

One of these days, the iPhone users are gonna start realising that the iPhone is no longer the best phone.

Regardless, I have no idea why the US has this weird bubble snobbery. In Australia, you'd be laughed at, and called a w*nker for thinking you're better than someone because of the phone brand you choose. No one cares over here. Well, possibly the occasional total w*nker, but they don't even count. I'm defo not aware of anyone who thinks like that. Besides, everyone mostly uses all the other various apps for messaging anyway - insta, fb, snap, whatsapp, we're all pretty much agnostic about it.

The iphone IS the best phone for me(And the millions who use them and buy them).

Also, Idk where this whole Americans care about bubble things lmao. This is literally an android issue because they feel left out.

iPhone users aren't left out because like you said there are various other apps.

I literally have 3 open right now.

 

[sideshowuniqueuser]

Ladies are much less likely to date green bubbles...it's what makes iPhone iPhone.

Sounds like a great filter to weed out women with mean hearts.

 

[svish]

Very interesting to see this. Not surprised to see the recurring subscription payment

 

[DarthDon]

If you read Google Android, stop reading... Mac OS or Debian. Since there is nothing like a IPhone on Linux side, there is no alternative.

 

[FastLaneJB]

I'd rather use SMS than rely on Meta as my primary means of communication. Not to mention the app is hideous. For a continent with otherwise good taste, Europe's obsession with whatsapp is wild to me.

It's actually pretty simple the reason for this one. In the US you had unlimited SMS on your phone contracts back then but most in Europe were limited to a potentially low number per month. WhatsApp came out in 2009 and solved that issue by using data to send messages and allowing people to bypass their SMS limits without excessive mobile bills. Not sure if it was first but it must have been close to first and was always top free app in the App Store back then.

iMessage didn't arrive until 2011 by which time WhatsApp was already dominate in Europe. Apple was just late is all. If we had unlimited SMS back then like we do on most contracts now because no one really uses them so that business model dried up, we'd probably have been more likely to follow the US trend on this.

I mean early WhatsApp didn't really offer anything better than SMS back then other than it was way cheaper.

 

[ProfessionalFan]

I've been following Beeper for a while, and this is not their main business model. Their goal is to take all of the different chat platforms that people use (SMS, iMessage, FB Messenger, Telegram, Discord, Snap, etc), and merge them into one app.

Ryan Howard tried this with WUPHF already and it failed

 

[SurferPup]

AUD3.39 this month. I’ll try it for December however unsure if I want to continue paying.’ I like one off app payments. I haven’t ever paid monthly app subscriptions.

 

[scorpio vega]

As an Android user, this thread is hilarious. One developer trying to make an Android app doesn't make all us Android users desperate. I live outside the US and couldn't care less about this drama as everyone uses WhatsApp.

It’s giving desperation to me.

The fact android is so heavily discussed on an apple site is bewildering lol. Isn’t there a forum specifically dedicated to android on here lol

 

[WarmWinterHat]

That seems like an Android issue(not the iphone) if the video is able to be recieved on other platforms. I never had difficulty sending to windows phone from an iPhone via SMS.

My work phone is an iPhone SE 2022 with iMessage permanently disabled. Video is compressed to postage stamp sized if it's from an android phone or another iPhone.

 

[toobravetosave]

I have never had any issues sending videos via SMS but usually getting videos from android is terrible and I blame Android.

that makes sense as you’ve continued to show you have no grasp of the issue or technologies involved

 

[lanceuppercut47]

My work phone is an iPhone SE 2022 with iMessage permanently disabled. Video is compressed to postage stamp sized if it's from an android phone or another iPhone.

Wait, so you've turned off iMessage but in the next breath, complaining about how video looks like junk if sent from another iPhone?

 

[WarmWinterHat]

Wait, so you've turned off iMessage but in the next breath, complaining about how video looks like junk if sent from another iPhone?

I didn't turn it off; it's company policy (MDM). I'm not complaining either, just showing that it's an SMS problem, not an Android problem.

We use Teams for all internal texting.

 

[AirunJae]

Not trying to fool anyone. I enjoy Pixel these days more than iPhone, simple as that. Bonus that file / image / video sharing just became 1000x easier.

I've got both as well. My only complaint is meme sharing from Facebook is much easier on iPhone as I can more easily copy and paste an image. Sometimes Pixel only wants to grab part of the image and I just have to screenshot it. That said, Beeper Mini is definitely an aesthetic improvement over Beeper Cloud. I think I'll still keep the iPhone as my primary for now, as I still enjoy the Apple Watch more than the Pixel Watch 2 currently.

 

[dk001]

And you can choose to android lmao. Apple is not forcing you to use it.

I’d be using a windows phone if they were still made but they aren’t so I’m loving my iPhone because android is a hot mess and unrefined Os.

What cracks me up is the fact you guys make apple out to
Be some be all
End all controller lmao.

The fact that google has yet to have anything remotely successful or similar to iMessage and they are this desperate is sad and it’s even more annoying grown adults complaining about it daily.

You do realize it is 2023 and not 2013? RCS in the Android world is every bit as good as iMessage in the Apple world.
For things like calls, texts, video chat, etc… the OS should be incidental.

 

[dk001]

that makes no sense. Why would we make a big deal about a color if they are always blue lmfao.
Make it make sense.
Google literally made a whole promotion about romeo and juliet lmfao. But it's definitely apple users complaining /s
Why would we complain about something we normally can do?

I even asked some of my coworkers and friends and most people have said what I have been saying. People aren't texting as much.

Guys have my phone number and they still message me through snap, messenger, IG.
I even had to make my snapchat because i got tired of guys asking me lol.

This is not the same as say when Snapchat refused to make a windows phone app thus literally preventing WP users from being able to contact their friends on android and IOS. That in itself was rough because we literally had no access to talk to our friends.

On Android I can set my chat “bubbles” to any color combination I want.
Theming. An option not allowed in the Apple World.

 

[dk001]

Apple isn't going to release iMessage for Android. Any potential thought or talk of this is a fantasy. You want the iPhone experience with iMessage? Buy an iPhone. I don't expect Beeper Mini to last long.

Android is a mess of a platform that apart from Samsung devices, is like the dumpster land of mobile devices. Yes you have variety, and it's "open", but what good is that to the consumer if the majority of android devices are trash, lack proper support for software, and don't offer a good experience to the user?

Yes, there are Google Pixel devices with Android. But let's be honest, there is no marketshare or mindshare there apart from the small group of tech reviewers and YouTubers.

I live in one of the most progressive tech cities in the US, and I rarely, if ever, have seen a Google Pixel device more than a handful of times. How many iterations of Google Pixel have we had so far? 7? 8?That's a lot of years and iterations without much market penetration. Samsung, from time to time I see (not as much as I used to during the mid 2010s and up until 2020) --- Apple devices, everywhere and nonstop. It's prolific.

As an anecdote, my local Verizon store staff, which I have a good relationship with as we have several lines with them for business admits that usually 8 to 9 out of 10 device sales are iPhones and the remaining are Samsung.

The marketplace doesn't lie.

You really should venture into the Android world for a while. It amazes me when I hear/read the term “mess”.
Variety.