Beeper Mini Says Jailbreak iPhone Solution is Final Effort

[phenste]

"Beeper Mini is also open sourcing the iMessage connection software that powers Beeper Mini so others can continue development if desired."

is this not like…asking for a lawsuit?

 

[ki77erb]

I think letting devices like this onto the iMessage network represents a weakening of security for everyone so I don’t think it’s a good thing.

How exactly is it weakening the security for everyone else? The messages originate on and Android device but once they enter the iMessage infrastructure, they are an iMessage just like all the other ones. There's no difference. No added payload or additional code.

 

[iGeneo]

This whole beeper thing is nonsense and it is ALL about the blue bubble envy...

They raise the "encryption" flag which is BS... who is sending data that needs to be encrypted over messages anyhow? 99% of the messages are "bring home butter" and "meet me at the bar at 7" messages..


You want to be shady... use something like telegram and call it a day

 

[I7guy]

Ask a carrier how they feel about YouTube and Netflix. They feel the same way. “Parasites using our network and profiting from us”.
Ask a developer how they feel about the 30% cut the Apple demands “just because”.
Apple could charge 3rd parties or the users for imesssage interoperability, but Apple does not care about a better connected world, just cares about killing the competition and being the sole phone provider of the world

Think you have some flaws in your argument. The internet isn’t free. Data transmission is payed for one way or another by all who use the internet.

Apples developer program is optional. Unlike air, food or water, an App Store dev account is a business decision.

Messages and iMessage are apples value added functionality to their platform. They shouldn’t be under obligation to do anything with it that they feel doesn’t benefit their customers.

 

[BaldiMac]

How exactly is it weakening the security for everyone else? The messages originate on and Android device but once they enter the iMessage infrastructure, they are an iMessage just like all the other ones. There's no difference. No added payload or additional code.

But with no way to verify where they came from, you can't trust the system. No way to know that the private key is properly protected.

The same method Beeper uses can be used by spammers and bad actors with Apple left to play wack-a-mole.

 

[vgmrm]

I wish Apple was this responsive to bug reports and security patches.

I got bored of passing them reports years ago... considering that today we are still dragging bugs from that time, I think I was right not to waste more time on them.

 

[Unregistered 4U]

If Android users want to message iPhone users you should buy iPhones!, and iPhone user want to message Android users your should get better friends or buy them iPhones!. This is of course sarcasm.
Shame on Apple.

Tim Apple even said as much!!

 

[Corefile]

Steve wanted to open source Apple Messages protocol but that didn't happen. Time for the EU to file a class action lawsuit against Apple. They've gotten away with this for too long.

 

[BaldiMac]

Steve wanted to open source Apple Messages protocol but that didn't happen.

You're thinking about his promise to make FaceTime an open standard. That was reportedly derailed by third-party patents.

Time for the EU to file a class action lawsuit against Apple. They've gotten away with this for too long.

Gotten away with what? What's the basis of your lawsuit? Not being open source?!?! iMessage is a minority player in the EU.

 

[raindogg]

So their solution is to buy an old iPhone?

 

[Unregistered 4U]

There are countries where text messages are still charged?

That would be surprising, given that the US is known for crappy cell phone companies and it's been free here for well over a decade now.

Yeah, but the iPhone started that free messaging trend in 2007 in the US with Cingular(AT&T Wireless) wanting to aggressively expand their marketshare and other carriers were forced to change their plans just to avoid losing customers to Cingular. Both unlimited texting AND unlimited data were things the competition had to offer to keep customers. The carriers of the rest of the world kept their texting prices (some, like in the US, have been removed since then, but the damage’s been done by now).

So, when WhatsApp came out in 2009, there was a way for anyone to send a message to anyone else on the platform without having detailed knowledge of what carrier’s plan they were on to avoid hitting them with SMS/MMS charges. This meant “texting” became free for anyone willing to sign up for the service and millions did. In my opinion, it’s the primary reason why the rest of the world has no problem sending messages between Android and iOS, it’s a non-issue because they use a technology that’s specifically FOR that purpose.

 

[Iwavvns]

So their solution is to buy an old iPhone?

In which case you'll no longer need beeper because you now have iMessage?

 

[ki77erb]

But with no way to verify where they came from, you can't trust the system. No way to know that the private key is properly protected.

The same method Beeper uses can be used by spammers and bad actors with Apple left to play wack-a-mole.

Not arguing with that last part. Anyone can attempt to find and exploit loopholes in order to send iMessages. It makes sense that Apple would try to prevent that. I was just saying that an iMessage is an iMessage so there really is no additional security threat there. Spam maybe, but you could get a spam sms too and that requires no loopholes or reverse engineering of iMessage.

 

[Michael Scrip]

Yeah, but the iPhone started that free messaging trend in 2007 in the US with Cingular(AT&T Wireless) wanting to aggressively expand their marketshare and other carriers were forced to change their plans just to avoid losing customers to Cingular. Both unlimited texting AND unlimited data were things the competition had to offer to keep customers. The carriers of the rest of the world kept their texting prices (some, like in the US, have been removed since then, but the damage’s been done by now).

Don't forget about Blackberry Messenger that also provided free texting between Blackberry users. It was a gamechanger back then. And it was understood that you must own a Blackberry in order to use it.

It was only when the Blackberry was nearly irrelevant with single-digit market share that they decided to open it up to many platforms. But by then it was too late.

 

[magicman32]

Eh, couldn't care less about this. My problems will be solved when RCS finally arrives in iMessage. Quality media being shared. That's all I need. Screw the bubble color!

 

[macbetta]

Why are you HAPPY Apple is denying someone a chance to be part of the iMessage platform with an Android phone?

Does this affect you in any way?

You need to take a long hard look in the mirror. Apple will support RCS once Google fully implements end to end encryption in it. It’s not Apples job to do that for them. This is a simple case of simping for one company/platform/entity against another all the while thinking you’re standing up for a righteous moral cause or something.

The issues surrounding all of this are more of a broader problem with capitalism and our society at large. Google locks RCS down by only serving it to Android users through the Google messaging app. Beeper clearly piggybacked off Apples property. If you don’t like that then complain about the law, not how Apple is following the law to protect their interests.

Beeper mini also clearly broke the end to end encryption aspect and made it so Apple customers might not know they are communicating with someone using this workaround. Obviously Apple is not going to be okay with letting that risk fall on their customers, or themselves when security is one of their huge selling points.

You’re missing the bigger picture if you think Apple is bullying you by not letting you have potentially unencrypted exchanges with iMessage users on their dime. It doesn’t matter if beeper mini was going to be a good actor, Apple doesn’t control them and if it isn’t within their own house they cannot make any guarantees about security.

 

[Iwavvns]

It's sad how some people immediately play the victim card when they don't get their way and start pointing fingers at others when their own entitlement issues are the problem.

 

[Jetscreamer]

How many more fire hoops do they want their customers to jump thru to use their app? At this point is just cheaper to buy a new iPhone SE. Most people carry two phones anyway.

 

[JosephAW]

You heard it here first, Apple will start blocking legitimate devices by accident and you'll loose access to iMessage capabilities or worse and then set the minimum requirement for iMessage to iOS 15, bricking older devices that are legitimate.

 

[Abazigal]

Why are you HAPPY Apple is denying someone a chance to be part of the iMessage platform with an Android phone?

Does this affect you in any way?

The problem I see here is that one company (Beeper) is pushing the cost and the responsibility of hosting Beeper customers on Apple. I don't blame Apple for being unwilling to do so, even thought the burden on them would be negligible.

If some bored teenager had cracked iMessage, put the app for free download online for android users to sideload and left it at that, I would still have applauded him for his ingenuity. But here we have a company attempting to create a viable business model by piggybagging off Apple's infrastructure, while receiving funding of up to 16 million dollars.

In what bizarro world do you see Apple letting this slide?

 

[BCARLLUVSM1]

Such ridiculous nonsense. Beeper has no business messing with Apple's servers or API.

 

[pdaholic]

Using a coffee mug to bail water out of a sinking ship!

 

[charlesdayton]

At this point, they should just shutdown. If you want iMessages then buy an iPhone or any other Apple device.

But they do have to buy an iPhone or Mac to make Beeper Mini work. This service makes no sense. So much effort to get blue bubbles

 

[CarAnalogy]

The team says, however, that it has "created something that Apple can tolerate existing" with the jailbroken iPhone endeavor.

I don’t know how they figure that. Apple has always hated jailbroken iPhones and everything about them. And at this point I’m surprised if Apple can even tolerate their company existing.

Beeper Mini is also open sourcing the iMessage connection software that powers Beeper Mini so others can continue development if desired.

And this is why I actually say **** these guys and I don’t feel sorry for them. I’m usually all for open source, but this is probably the reason I’ve seen a big spike in iMessage spam lately. This is less open source, more proof of concept exploit code.

How exactly is Apple supposed to stop that? Isn't this precisely what the first sale doctrine is all about?

As much as I don’t like this you’re probably right about that, I don’t see how Apple could stop them.

Jailbroken iphone lol. As others have said, appreciate the tenacity, but this was tilting at a windmill from the beginning.

Would be better if Apple just released iMessage on Android giving them blue bubbles and slurping up all those users for messaging with E2E encryption (maybe $0.99 a month to cover costs). The people are still going to want iPhones regardless and it'd be a PR win.

Like others have said I think RCS is the right compromise here if Apple has decided as a business decision (probably correctly) to never release iMessage for non-Apple platforms.

 

[CarAnalogy]

I hope the death of the Beeper app comes quickly.

At this point it’s already too drawn out to be quick.