Close Menu
Technology Mag

    Subscribe to Updates

    Get the latest creative news from FooBar about art, design and business.

    What's Hot

    Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge Reveal Confirmed and Lenovo Launches a New 3D Laptop—Your Gear News of the Week

    May 10, 2025

    The Dangerous Decline in Vaccination Rates

    May 10, 2025

    Netflix’s ‘Moments’ Feature Lets You Easily Share Your Favorite Clips

    May 10, 2025
    Facebook X (Twitter) Instagram
    Subscribe
    Technology Mag
    Facebook X (Twitter) Instagram YouTube
    • Home
    • News
    • Business
    • Games
    • Gear
    • Reviews
    • Science
    • Security
    • Trending
    • Press Release
    Technology Mag
    Home » Apple has seemingly found a way to block Android’s new iMessage app
    News

    Apple has seemingly found a way to block Android’s new iMessage app

    News RoomBy News RoomDecember 8, 20233 Mins Read
    Facebook Twitter Pinterest LinkedIn Reddit WhatsApp Email

    It appears that Beeper Mini, an easy iMessage solution for Android, was simply too good to be true — or a short-lived dream, at least. On Friday, less than a week after its launch, the app started experiencing technical issues when users were suddenly unable to send and receive blue bubble messages. The problems grew worse over the course of the day, with reports piling up on the Beeper subreddit. Several people at The Verge were unable to activate their Android phone numbers with Beeper Mini as of Friday afternoon, a clear indication that Apple has plugged up whatever holes allowed the app to operate to begin with.

    Beeper Mini was the result of a comprehensive attempt to reverse engineer Apple’s messaging protocol. A 16-year-old high school student managed to successfully pull it off, and for a while, everything worked without a hitch. That effort became the basis for the new app, which requires a $2 / month subscription. Here’s what my colleague Jake wrote days ago:

    Its developers figured out how to register a phone number with iMessage, send messages directly to Apple’s servers, and have messages sent back to your phone natively inside the app. It was a tricky process that involved deconstructing Apple’s messaging pipeline from start to finish. Beeper’s team had to figure out where to send the messages, what the messages needed to look like, and how to pull them back down from the cloud. The hardest part, Migicovsky said, was cracking what is essentially Apple’s padlock on the whole system: a check to see whether the connected device is a genuine Apple product.

    Quinn Nelson, of Snazzy Labs, also made an excellent video that covers the technical details. The belief — or I suppose the hope — among Beeper’s developers and users was that it would be such an ordeal for Apple to block the Android app that doing so wouldn’t be worth the hassle. Apparently, it was easier than anyone expected.

    This throws a huge wrench into Beeper’s plans; the company was hoping to evolve Beeper Mini into an all-in-one messaging app that would eventually wrap in RCS and SMS.

    Reached for comment, Beeper CEO Eric Migicovsky did not deny that Apple has successfully blocked Beeper Mini. “If it’s Apple, then I think the biggest question is… if Apple truly cares about the privacy and security of their own iPhone users, why would they stop a service that enables their own users to now send encrypted messages to Android users, rather than using unsecure SMS? With their announcement of RCS support, it’s clear that Apple knows they have a gaping hole here. Beeper Mini is here today and works great. Why force iPhone users back to sending unencrypted SMS when they chat with friends on Android?”

    Previous attempts to get iMessage working on Android — like Beeper’s original app — have involved complex systems with remote Macs logged into a user’s Apple ID. Nothing, the startup from OnePlus co-founder Carl Pei, recently sought to bring iMessage to its latest phone, but that plan was quickly derailed by security and privacy concerns. The Beeper Mini approach, which actually communicated with Apple’s own servers, was the most impressive try yet. But unless the company can somehow get around Apple’s blockade, it’ll go down as a very fleeting one.

    Share. Facebook Twitter Pinterest LinkedIn WhatsApp Reddit Email
    Previous ArticleThe Future of Game Accessibility Is Surprisingly Simple
    Next Article The Valve Steam Deck OLED Is a Brighter, Sharper Way to Play Handheld Games

    Related Posts

    A review of Adidas’ entirely 3D printed Climacool sneakers

    May 10, 2025

    Samsung’s Galaxy Ring is on sale with a $100 gift card starting at $299.99

    May 9, 2025

    Donald Trump takes aim at more water and energy efficiency standards

    May 9, 2025

    Google will pay a $1.375 billion settlement to Texas over privacy violations

    May 9, 2025

    Figma’s CEO on his new approach to AI

    May 9, 2025

    You can now use Apple Pay to buy games on your PS5

    May 9, 2025
    Our Picks

    The Dangerous Decline in Vaccination Rates

    May 10, 2025

    Netflix’s ‘Moments’ Feature Lets You Easily Share Your Favorite Clips

    May 10, 2025

    Customs and Border Protection Confirms Its Use of Hacked Signal Clone TeleMessage

    May 10, 2025

    A review of Adidas’ entirely 3D printed Climacool sneakers

    May 10, 2025
    • Facebook
    • Twitter
    • Pinterest
    • Instagram
    • YouTube
    • Vimeo
    Don't Miss
    News

    Samsung’s Galaxy Ring is on sale with a $100 gift card starting at $299.99

    By News RoomMay 9, 2025

    Smartwatches have come along way since the first Apple Watch arrived on the scene more…

    Donald Trump takes aim at more water and energy efficiency standards

    May 9, 2025

    Google will pay a $1.375 billion settlement to Texas over privacy violations

    May 9, 2025

    Figma’s CEO on his new approach to AI

    May 9, 2025
    Facebook X (Twitter) Instagram Pinterest
    • Privacy Policy
    • Terms of use
    • Advertise
    • Contact
    © 2025 Technology Mag. All Rights Reserved.

    Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.