Last week we heard about a brand new way for Android users to access Apple’s iMessage, in the form of the Beeper Mini app. Then Apple He immediately closed the loophole that the Beeper Mini was using, which makes the app somewhat useless. The Beeper Mini promised a return, although we didn’t see it coming this fast.
Previously, Beeper Mini would trick iMessage into thinking Android users were already on an Apple device, spoofing legitimate Apple hardware keys to gain access. This was linked to your phone number, registered with Apple’s servers (without Apple’s permission) and did not require an Apple ID. The new version is the opposite.
Now, the Beeper Mini requires you to sign in with your original Apple ID, linking all your messages to that email address instead of your phone number. The developers claim that a fix is in the works to introduce phone number integration again, but it’s unclear when that might be rolled out.
Stay one step ahead
Apple was very quick to shut down the Beeper Mini, and released a statement Claiming that it “has taken steps to protect our users by blocking technologies that exploit fake credentials in order to access iMessage.” Adding, “These technologies pose significant risks to user security and privacy, including the potential for revealing metadata and enabling spam, spam, and phishing attacks.”
You can understand this logic, because Apple doesn’t control anything the Beeper Mini does, and can’t determine what kind of security risks are hidden in its system. This is especially important given the accusations against the Sunbird app, which also powers Nothing Chat. Sunbird allegedly did not encrypt the messages, and stored copies of everything in a way that made them publicly accessible.
Of course iMessage is one of those things Apple uses to encourage people to buy iPhones. Documents and testimony from Epic Games’ lawsuit against Apple revealed that iMessage could have made its way to Android, but the idea was shot down by Craig Federighi, Apple’s senior vice president of software engineering. Because it may prevent people from buying iPhones.
Tim Cook also dismissed the idea of adopting RCS a while ago, when a reporter asked him about improving communication with his Android-using mother. His response was that the reporter should “He buys [their] Mom’s iPhone“.
Beeper Mini has boasted its success as the “fastest growing paid Android app in history”, with over 100,000 downloads. The team uses this as evidence that Android and iPhone users “desperately want to chat together.” Or at least Android users want to chat with iPhone users without using SMS – which is insecure and lacking in the feature department.
Apple will launch support for RCS messaging sometime next year, but has claimed that it will work on improving the protocol’s security features before implementing it into the Apple ecosystem. Presumably we’ll hear more about this during WWDC 2024, and I hope this will be rolled out as part of iOS 18 at the latest.
Meanwhile, Apple promised to “continue making updates in the future to protect our users.” Which I understand to mean that Apple will plug any backdoors or loopholes that allow iMessage to access third-party devices. Due to this instability, the developers of Beeper Mini intend to suspend paid subscriptions, and make the application free. At least until things settle down.
More from Tom’s guide
The Beeper Mini’s iMessage for Android feature has made a return, but the question on everyone’s mind is how long it will last this time around. With the ability to use iMessage on Android devices being a highly sought-after feature, the news of its return has certainly caused a stir. However, with the past history of the feature being pulled due to Apple’s strict control over its messaging platform, the durability of its return is uncertain. Nonetheless, the reappearance of iMessage for Android on the Beeper Mini has sparked interest and anticipation amongst users, eager to see if this time the feature will be here to stay.