It seems that Beeper Mini, the promising iMessage solution for Android, has encountered significant issues shortly after its launch. Within less than a week, users started facing technical difficulties, preventing them from sending and receiving blue bubble messages. Reports on the Beeper subreddit indicated a growing number of problems throughout the day, with some users unable to activate their Android phone numbers with Beeper Mini. This suggests that Apple has taken steps to block the app, closing whatever vulnerabilities allowed it to operate.
Beeper Mini emerged from a thorough attempt to reverse engineer Apple’s messaging protocol, successfully executed by a 16-year-old high school student. Initially, the app worked seamlessly and became the basis for the new platform, requiring a $2 per month subscription. The developers and users of Beeper hoped that Apple would find it too cumbersome to block the Android app, considering the significant effort put into reverse engineering. However, Apple’s response turned out to be more effective and quicker than anticipated.
This development poses a significant challenge to Beeper’s plans, which aimed to transform Beeper Mini into an all-in-one messaging app that would eventually incorporate RCS and SMS. Eric Migicovsky, Beeper’s CEO, did not deny Apple’s successful blockage of Beeper Mini when reached for comment. He questioned Apple’s commitment to user privacy and security, suggesting that by blocking Beeper Mini, Apple forces its users to resort to unencrypted SMS when communicating with Android users.
Previous attempts to bring iMessage to Android involved complex systems utilizing remote Macs logged into a user’s Apple ID. Another effort by Nothing, a startup co-founded by OnePlus co-founder Carl Pei, sought to bring iMessage to its latest phone but faced swift setbacks due to security and privacy concerns. Beeper Mini’s approach, directly communicating with Apple’s servers, was considered one of the most impressive attempts, but unless the company finds a way to circumvent Apple’s blockade, its success could be short-lived.
