ChannelNews first wrote about the new Android iMessage app, Beeper Mini, last week. And just days after it was launched, Apple seems to have put an end to it.
Just recently, users were already posting online about Beeper Mini texts not passing through.
It’s been reported that Apple is somehow blocking server access, and when asked whether the company was responsible for the outage, co-founder of Beeper, Eric Migicovsky said “Yes, all data indicates that.”
There are reports Beeper Mini is returning a message delivery failure in the US. However, users in India have claimed they are still able to send iMessage texts via Beeper Mini from Androids to iPhones.
These users also claimed delivery status, typing indicators, and GIF reactions appear to be working. One user said however, that when they tried to send a message to a friend in the US, it wasn’t received, and there was no delivery or read indicator.
Experts believe Apple has only applied the patch for the US market so far, as it has the largest base of dedicated iMessage users.
US Senator Elizabeth Warren even weighed in, “Green bubble texts are less secure. So why would Apple block a new app allowing Android users to chat with iPhone users on iMessage? Big Tech executives are protecting profits by squashing competitors. Chatting between different platforms should be easy and secure.”
Despite seemingly clear operational credentials, Beeper Mini is still an unofficial iMessage solution. Apple has kept iMessage from Android as the company deems it an important iPhone perk.
Beeper Mini isn’t using any Mac relay hack, as attempted by others in the past, and doesn’t ask for an Apple ID. Instead, it’s a result of an iMessage reverse engineering project.
It was offering almost the same benefits as a native iPhone to iPhone iMessage experience, and had plans to introduce FaceTime audio and video calling in the future.
In other news, Apple has officially embraced the RCS protocol, meaning messages exchanged between Androids and iPhones won’t degrade to SMS/MMS protocols, and will offer the same tricks as iMessage sometime next year.
