Beeper Mini Resorts to Jailbreaking iPhones to Rescue Blue Bubbles

[spinedoc77]

FYI the article is incorrect (by omission) that users need a jailbroken iPhone to get iMessage. You can still get it with a Mac device but you can only iMessage with your Apple ID/email. The jailbroken phone is only if you want to use your phone number. Maybe a small point for some, but still the reporting should have noted this.

 

[mrat93]

And this is coming from someone who did all these hacks, self-hosted BlueBubbles, AirMessage, did the whole Beeper Cloud and Beeper Mini thing, and am not afraid to jailbreak an old iPhone, but even I've reached my limit.

I’m curious — which of those apps would you say worked the best for its purpose (if they worked decently at all). And why did you give up? I saw that you can’t initiate new conversations on BlueBubbles.

I just really want to try Android as my main phone without annoying all of my friends. It’s almost as if… Apple knows that iMessage exclusivity keeps customers, and doesn’t want to change it, so users don’t want to switch. 🫨

 

[spinedoc77]

… Which puts the burden on users to remember which friend or family member prefers which app, and pushes group chats away from Apple Messages. each group chat is, etc.

Is your suggestion for people to use SMS by default and then switch to a different messenger when you want to send media? Or should they have a multitude of chat apps to communicate with Android users all the time, and ignore SMS?

Either option seems silly and are 100% artificial limitations imposed by Apple.

This reminds me of people in 2007/2008 saying “we don’t need MMS, we have email!”

It’s such a dumb problem which Apple could solve tomorrow if they wanted to.

Yeah their argument never made sense to me, just as much as the argument that everyone can download a separate messaging app to text (good luck on me getting my hundreds of contacts to comply). I can barely get my parents and in laws to figure out how to use iMessage, their heads would literally explode if I tried to have them download and manage another app just to view videos of my kids playing sports. I've already tried with Samsung and their ability to email a link to a video, what a $*#* show.

 

[scorpio vega]

putting chat app on android = forcing an entire ecosystem to OPEN ITSELF UP

Thanks for this logic. I get it now!

Actually, yes.

I'll make a point I made earlier.

Let's say the iMessage does come to android. Okay, cool. We all have blue bubbles now and Android users can stop whining.

Except wait: We all have blue bubbles but how do i know which one uses Apple pay? Or any other apple centric feature?

So you then have two situations?
1. Apple creates an iMessage for Android that is inferior because it lacks Apple specific features and thus makes the chat exprerience subpar for the iphone user

OR
2. Now not only is apple creating iMessage for Android...it's creating Apple pay...it's creating this or that so it would have the same features on BOTH PLATFORMS.

Hmm, sounds quite a bit like android to me which defeats the purpose of me not using Android. Because now they would have to break out these individual apps/features from the OS because they would likely need to update both to have feature parity.

Me, the Apple user, is stuck on inferior technology and apparently that is a good thing because SCREW ANDROID!!!

I mean, I'd love to see Android die. Hopefully, it'll go through a similar regulation like Microsoft did. Microsoft these days are actually the good guys or least less evil than Google.

Your technology is not inferior. Apple just chooses to not utilize a wholly unreliable RCS method right now and it is not giving iMessage to Android (See above)

you wouldn't be so passionate about it.

Oh dont take this as passion. I am traveling. This is literally me killing time. Plus the beeper reddit is hilarious and i am getting a laugh from this desperation.

You just need to know which alternate chat app each Android user in your life prefers, which pushes you to use other apps that aren’t Messages/iMessage. Easy peasy, problem solved! Confusing why Beeper Mini exists with this obvious solution.

I mean if you use your phone quite a bit it is not that difficult.

For example: my brothers Devin and Riley both are 17. For whatever reason, he will check a snapchat message before anything else.

My mom is likely to check her FB messenger before SMS so i usually send whatever messages i need to send to her there but i 'll call her number directly.

My dad doesnt answer calls but he loves to facetime to "See your face". Kind of weird whatever.

My roommates and I have a group chat. Even though all 3 of us have iPhones, we use whatsapp since both of them are from Tokyo and Amsterdam.

Most guys i meet at a bar and dont want to have my number have my insta or snap.

I have friends that I iMessage. SOme of them are actually androif users (work) so we have a work group chat (no issues).

I also have this discord group i am in from reddit.

Oh and speaking of reddit, i have some weird dude messaging me in my DMs because in his words based on my text "I sound like i am pretty". Creepy but i rest my case.

You see the beauty of cross platform. I am able to use all these beautiful cross platform things and use my smartphone as it should be and I am not limited to SMS or RCS or even imessage. I make my phone work for me not against me.

 

[scorpio vega]

Apple knows that iMessage exclusivity keeps customers, and doesn’t want to change it, so users don’t want to switch. 🫨

Yeah when i suffer when my Android, it is definitely imessage that makes me come back to iPhone.

That was sarcasm.

 

[BaldiMac]

Oh ok so I need to start downloading apps AND have my family also download apps

This is seriously a solution to you instead of Apple prioritizing some modern interoperability? Really?

Really. If you had confidence in your argument, why do you feel the need to make stuff up?

… Which puts the burden on users to remember which friend or family member prefers which app, and pushes group chats away from Apple Messages. each group chat is, etc.

Is your suggestion for people to use SMS by default and then switch to a different messenger when you want to send media? Or should they have a multitude of chat apps to communicate with Android users all the time, and ignore SMS?

Either option seems silly and are 100% artificial limitations imposed by Apple.

This reminds me of people in 2007/2008 saying “we don’t need MMS, we have email!”

It’s such a dumb problem which Apple could solve tomorrow if they wanted to.

This is a hilarious use of "burden". First world problems!

 

[spinedoc77]

I’m curious — which of those apps would you say worked the best for its purpose (if they worked decently at all). And why did you give up? I saw that you can’t initiate new conversations on BlueBubbles.

I just really want to try Android as my main phone without annoying all of my friends. It’s almost as if… Apple knows that iMessage exclusivity keeps customers, and doesn’t want to change it, so users don’t want to switch. 🫨

Without a doubt BlueBubbles, it just works. The caveat is you have to have a Mac device on and connected 24/7, but Mac devices are very cheap. That only works with your Apple ID and email, if you want your phone number then you need an old iPhone to activate iMessage on the phone number. It's really quite simple, but again with multiple caveats, although once you are setup it's smooth sailing.

Edit: You can indeed initiate new conversations on BlueBubbles, I do it all the time.

 

[spinedoc77]

Really. If you had confidence in your argument, why do you feel the need to make stuff up?


This is a hilarious use of "burden". First world problems!

Nonsense. You think having to get my hundreds of contacts to download, manage, trust their privacy, keep track of, etc separate apps to communicate with just one person is simple?

 

[mrat93]

Except wait: We all have blue bubbles but how do i know which one uses Apple pay? Or any other apple centric feature?

lol COME ON, dude.

How many messages does the average iPhone user per day? How many Apple Pay payments to people send to others per day? There’s no comparison.

Most people send dozens or over a hundred messages in a day, but I’d say the average iOS user uses Apple Cash less than once per week. Silly comparison.

So you then have two situations?
1. Apple creates an iMessage for Android that is inferior because it lacks Apple specific features and thus makes the chat exprerience subpar for the iphone user

If somebody doesn’t use Apple Cash, does that really make your chat experience subpar?

2. Now not only is apple creating iMessage for Android...it's creating Apple pay...it's creating this or that so it would have the same features on BOTH PLATFORMS.

Hmm, sounds quite a bit like android to me which defeats the purpose of me not using Android.

You’re saying that if Apple adds iMessage AND their Venmo clone to Android, that somehow makes iOS like Android?

Yeah that adds up — aside from sideloading, split-screen multitasking, and minor customization options, and literally everything about Android that makes it Android.

 

[Adam5SS]

The developers of Beeper Mini, the iMessage for Android app, are back with another attempt to keep Apple's blue bubbles onside, and this time they will ask users to generate their iMessage registration data with the help of jailbroken iPhones, MacRumors has learned.

Beeper Mini operates by identifying text message conversations from iMessage users and converting them to the recognizable blue bubbles associated with Apple's exclusive messaging service. This enables Android users to interact with iMessage features such as reactions, threads, high-quality media sharing, and group chats, without the iPhone users noticing any difference.

When Beeper Mini first launched, Android users were able to register their phone numbers with Beeper Mini, but Apple quickly shut down this avenue, and Beeper Mini now only works with an Apple ID email address. Android users have since required access to a Mac with Beeper Cloud installed to generate their iMessage registration data and get Beeper on Android working, but the service has seen poor reliability of late, with multiple interruptions reported.

In its latest effort to keep the service afloat, Beeper will suggest that users get hold of an old iPhone to get iMessage working on their Android phone. Users will then be asked to install a free Beeper tool to generate an iMessage registration code that will reinstate the ability to register phone numbers on the service. The catch is that the iPhone must first be jailbroken, and it must be kept plugged into power, at home, and connected to Wi-Fi for periodic registration re-requests.

If users don't have access to an old iPhone for jailbreaking in order to complete the registration process, that's okay – Beeper will rent them one for a small monthly fee. The developers say this service will be available in the new year, if there is enough interest. The plan was leaked ahead of time when a Beeper blog post was published late Wednesday then swiftly removed, but not before a snapshot was generated by the Internet Archive's Wayback Machine, as spotted by MacRumors contributor Aaron Perris.

With the increasing amount of hoops Android users are being asked to jump through, Beeper is facing an ever-worsening existential crisis. When the requirement to have a Mac was added in the mix, it was not surprising that Android users began finding the app to be more of a hassle than a help. With this latest twist – literally requiring an iPhone (or Mac) to get the service working as it should – it's hard to see the approach gaining traction. And with Apple planning to adopt RCS next year to bring many iMessage features to conversations with Android users, community enthusiasm for the project has likely already peaked.

Beeper Mini launched using a reverse engineered version of iMessage, and the app was registering the phone numbers of Android users with fake iMessage credentials using Apple's own servers. Apple made it clear that it views Beeper Mini as a security risk, and that it has no intention of allowing the app to use iMessage in any capacity.

Article Link: Beeper Mini Resorts to Jailbreaking iPhones to Rescue Blue Bubbles

This is hilarious! If you want in the iPhone club go buy an iPhone. You’re that sad that you have a jailbroken one at home to have blue bubble lmao. Just use Google chat or any of the other messaging services that are in both platforms. #TellMeYouWannaiPhoneWithoutSayingIylt LMAO I have an old jailbroken phone plugged in at home to message you🤣 make it make sense please

 

[mrat93]

Without a doubt BlueBubbles, it just works. The caveat is you have to have a Mac device on and connected 24/7, but Mac devices are very cheap. That only works with your Apple ID and email, if you want your phone number then you need an old iPhone to activate iMessage on the phone number. It's really quite simple, but again with multiple caveats, although once you are setup it's smooth sailing.

Edit: You can indeed initiate new conversations on BlueBubbles, I do it all the time.

Hm, I thought I saw something about newer macOS versions limiting the creation of new conversations.

If I had an Android phone with its own phone number, and an iPhone registered with iMessage (my main phone number), can I continue my group chats which utilize my main phone number, and start new chat with my phone number from Android? Will my group chats magically pop up on my iPhone and Android once I get it up and running? Does any chat history get synced, or only new messages?

Sorry for the questionnaire. I’m clearly a desperate and mindless Google sheep for wanting to try a new platform and not annoy my friends.

 

[BaldiMac]

Nonsense. You think having to get my hundreds of contacts to download, manage, trust their privacy, keep track of, etc separate apps to communicate with just one person is simple?

No, I think it's a lie to say "I can’t send a full resolution video to my family on android phones because I have an iphone."

 

[Adam Henry]

It's a pretty incredible hacking effort.... I wonder where this will end.

probably in court.

 

[toobravetosave]

Really. If you had confidence in your argument, why do you feel the need to make stuff up?


This is a hilarious use of "burden". First world problems!

What am I making up? I don’t use chat apps and don’t plan on downloading a variety of them to have modern digital communications with someone.

For example, this forum quickly suggests I use Facebook products for cross platform messaging…why did I buy an iPhone if I have to use Facebook messenger or WhatsApp to send a high def video of my dog to my brother

Edit: I should add he doesn’t use any other messaging apps either so it’s texting or email

 

[mrat93]

This is hilarious! If you want in the iPhone club go buy an iPhone. You’re that sad that you have a jailbroken one at home to have blue bubble lmao. Just use Google chat or any of the other messaging services that are in both platforms. #TellMeYouWannaiPhoneWithoutSayingIylt LMAO I have an old jailbroken phone plugged in at home to message you🤣 make it make sense please

Some iPhone users want to try and use the other phone platform without annoying everybody they’ve been iMessaging on iPhone.

Some Android users want to be able to communicate with their iPhone friends without forcing them to a new app.

Also why make a hashtag and then laugh at your own joke? I specifically want to try not to have an iPhone, which is why I want iMessage on Android.

Hope this makes sense.

 

[Adam Henry]

not sure about everyone else but if i get a green bubble and its not a 2 factor i just delete and block.

 

[toobravetosave]

not sure about everyone else but if i get a green bubble and its not a 2 factor i just delete and block.

Yet they say it is android people who care about bubbles 😂

 

[strongy]

You’re saying that if Apple adds iMessage AND their Venmo clone to Android, that somehow makes iOS like Android?

you know venmo only exists in the usa, it only work with us residents they are obviously not as big as you think.

 

[BaldiMac]

What am I making up? I don’t use chat apps and don’t plan on downloading a variety of them to have modern digital communications with someone.

For example, this forum quickly suggests I use Facebook products for cross platform messaging…why did I buy an iPhone if I have to use Facebook messenger or WhatsApp to send a high def video of my dog to my brother

Edit: I should add he doesn’t use any other messaging apps either so it’s texting or email

So, you are well aware that you can send a full resolution video to an android phone from an iPhone. So why lie about it?

 

[toobravetosave]

So, you are well aware that you can send a full resolution video to an android phone from an iPhone. So why lie about it?

Have you ever tried? My family do not receive full resolution videos and neither do I from them

 

[redheeler]

This saga continues to be entertaining 🍿

 

[BaldiMac]

Have you ever tried? My family do not receive full resolution videos and neither do I from them

You just acknowledged that there are other apps that you could use to send the full resolution video. You simply choose not to.

 

[spinedoc77]

Hm, I thought I saw something about newer macOS versions limiting the creation of new conversations.

If I had an Android phone with its own phone number, and an iPhone registered with iMessage (my main phone number), can I continue my group chats which utilize my main phone number, and start new chat with my phone number from Android? Will my group chats magically pop up on my iPhone and Android once I get it up and running? Does any chat history get synced, or only new messages?

Sorry for the questionnaire. I’m clearly a desperate and mindless Google sheep for wanting to try a new platform and not annoy my friends.

I have the latest Ventura with no issues. I'm not sure on your setup, are you saying your Android phone number is the same as your iMessage phone number? If so then yep group chats are no issues at all, as far as iMessage is concerned you have an iPhone even though you are using your Android.

 

[strongy]

Nonsense. You think having to get my hundreds of contacts to download, manage, trust their privacy, keep track of, etc separate apps to communicate with just one person is simple?

its amazing how everyone in the world has been doing this for decades already only the usa finds it difficult

 

[spinedoc77]

No, I think it's a lie to say "I can’t send a full resolution video to my family on android phones because I have an iphone."

I might have missed something here, but doesn't that force the video to go through SMS? I genuinely don't know because I only go from Android to iPhone where sending a video results in a postage size stamp of pretty much nothing the resolution is so low.