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Key Takeaways

  • Beeper Mini, the app that offered Android users access to Apple's iMessage, is facing serious issues with sending and receiving blue bubble messages.
  • Apple may have pulled the plug on Beeper Mini's access to its servers, compromising the app's functionality.
  • This development is disappointing given the convenience and effectiveness of Beeper Mini in bridging the gap between iPhone and Android users.

Less than three days ago, it looked like Android users would finally be able to pass under Apple’s blue-bubble radar without throwing privacy to the wind thanks to an app named Beeper Mini. Unfortunately, that looks to no longer be the case.

According to a report from Techcrunch, it seems that what many people deemed inevitable has happened. Complaints first started appearing on Reddit and other social media platforms that Beeper Mini was facing serious issues sending and receiving blue bubble messages. The official Beeper X (formerly Twitter) account acknowledged the issue earlier Friday.

When further asked about the reported outage, Eric Migicovsky, co-founder and CEO of Beeper, confirmed to TechCrunch that Apple could have very well pulled the plug on Beeper Mini’s access to its servers. “Yes, all data indicates that,” he said. "I would be very interested to hear why they think that making security worse for iPhone users makes sense."

Many Android users have wanted access to iMessage to end green-bubble shame (it's certainly cheaper than buying an iPhone), and Beeper Mini looked to offer a safe method. Instead of routing your messages and personal info through a remote Mac Mini to pass Apple’s hurdles, like with other apps, Beeper Mini was so easy and convenient to use that you didn't even need an Apple ID for it to work. It looked like the ultimate solution for Android users craving to pass through Apple’s green-bubble blockade.

Quinn Nelson of Snazzy Labs went hands-on with the app. The Snazzy Labs X account posted that there were backup plans in the event of an Apple response, but the speed of it was unexpected. "I think it took everyone by surprise (including Beeper) how quickly Apple shut this down," the post read. "Talking to them, they had a lot of other ways to keep Beeper Mini up, but a business can't be based on 'cat-and-mouse.'"

Beeper Mini was a promising project that might've ended a gruelling debate, particularly given how convenient and effective it was at tackling the issue at hand. According to writer Brady Snyder, who went hands-on with the app, "it's the only way you should be using iMessage on Android without setting up your own servers."

If the outage is indeed an Apple response, it could arguably compromise the privacy of its users when sending messages to Android users as their messages are routed through the classic, unencrypted SMS protocol.

Credit where it’s due, Apple has finally yielded and announced its intention to add RCS support in iMessage next year, making cross-platform messaging more secure and convenient to all users. But until then, it seems that Android users will still make do with good old SMS until Apple graciously adds RCS support.