“/>Image credits: Whistle
Was it too good to be true? Beeper, the startup that reverse-engineered iMessage to deliver blue bubble texts to Android users, suffers an outage, company It was reported via a post on X on Friday. It appears that Apple is responsible. Users, including those of us at TechCrunch with access to the app, started seeing error messages when trying to send text messages via the newly released Beeper Mini and the messages weren’t being sent.
The error message says: “Search failed on server: Search request timed out” written in red letters.
Image credits: Screenshot of Beeper Mini error
In response to a question on Reddit about whether the app was down or not, a Beeper team member previously responded: “Report a problem with the app, give us a chance to look into it.”
However, Beeper CEO Eric Migicowski responded to TechCrunch’s inquiry about the status of the Beeper Mini by directing us to Post X that acknowledges the interruption, and provide more details. When asked if Apple had found a way to cut off the Beeper Mini’s ability to function, he replied: “Yes, all the data points to that.”
Investigating reports that transmit/receive is not working in Beeper Mini
“/> – Beeper (@onbeeper) December 8, 2023
We don’t know what this means for the future of the Beeper Mini effort, unless Beeper engineers can somehow solve the problem.
Migicowski, who previously founded the Pebble smartwatch, argued that the Beeper Mini was not only useful for Android users who wanted to finally join their friends’ group chats in iMessage, but it increased security for iPhone users as well.
In an interview before the Beeper Mini launch, the founder explained that the green bubble texts were unencrypted.
“This means that any time you send a text message to your friends on Android, anyone can read the message. Apple can read the message. Your carrier can read the message. Google… literally, it’s like a postcard. Anyone can read it “So the Beeper Mini really increases the security of iPhones,” he told TechCrunch.
Apple, on the other hand, sees iMessage as one of the key tools to connect users to its ecosystem, which is why it will not launch an iMessage app for Android. While there was some hope that EU regulations would force iMessage to be made more interoperable, news this week suggests that iMessage will get an exemption from those rules because the service isn’t popular enough with business users. This means that Apple has no reason not to try to stop the Beeper Mini, if it were possible.
Migicowski is not happy about this turn of events.
“I would be very interested to know why they think making security worse for iPhone users makes sense,” he said.
“If it’s Apple, I think the bigger question is – if Apple really cares about the privacy and security of its iPhone users, why would they try to kill a service that enables iPhones to send encrypted conversations to Android users? With their announcement of RCS support, Apple clearly knows That has a big gap here. The Beeper Mini is here today and it works great. Why are we forcing iPhone users to go back to sending unencrypted SMS text messages when chatting with friends on Android?
Founded in 2020, the Beeper team was originally working on a cross-platform messaging aggregator, which was renamed to Beeper Cloud this week with the launch of Beeper Mini. The latter uses a new technology that allows Android users to text iMessage users as if they were also texting from an iPhone for just $1.99 per month. This means there are blue bubbles in the group chat, not green bubbles. Because the startup no longer uses an intermediary — such as a Mac server that transmits messages, as other iMessage apps to Android do — it would essentially appear to Apple’s servers that the Beeper Mini’s messages were coming from a device running iMessage natively. It’s unclear, then, how Apple was able to cut off the Beeper Mini’s access.
What this means for the Beeper Mini’s future is uncertain.
“We will evaluate options,” Migicowski said.
Update, perhaps?
Stay close to your phones https://t.co/WjwNRvkzW5
– Eric Migikowski (@ericmigi) December 9, 2023
More updates:
And…maybe we talked too soon. It doesn’t work for all accounts yet. There’s more work to do, we’re going to sleep for now but we’ll be back at it tomorrow.
– Beeper (@onbeeper) December 9, 2023
“/> iMessage for Beeper Cloud is back in action for real this time. You should be able to send and receive iMessages. “/>
If you get a notification that a new Mac has been added to your account, it’s because Apple doesn’t know how to say that the Beeper has reestablished its connection. pic.twitter.com/VxQiZmvT9e “/> – Beeper (@onbeeper) December 9, 2023
Apple recently made the decision to cut off the Beeper Mini’s access after they launched a service that brought iMessage to Android. This move has caused quite a stir in the tech world, as it signals a shift in Apple’s typically closed-door approach to their messaging platform. The Beeper Mini had offered a way for Android users to access iMessage on their devices, but Apple’s decision to block it has raised questions about the company’s control over its ecosystem. This development has sparked a debate about the implications for cross-platform messaging and the future of iMessage.