Days after Mashable’s Kimberly Gedeon introduced that the Beeper Mini app existed to let Android customers ship textual content messages utilizing blue “iMessage” bubbles, Apple seems to have shut down the app.
Sometimes, you want an Apple machine and an Apple ID to make use of iMessage. Nevertheless, as Gedeon talked about, the Beeper Mini’s builders have found out methods to affiliate a telephone quantity with iMessage to connect with Apple’s servers in an effort to ship and obtain messages as if the Android telephone had been an iPhone.
The Google Gemini video was fairly superb resulting from some nice modifying
Whereas Beeper claimed that every one communications had been end-to-end encrypted and safe, in keeping with a weblog submit, Apple claimed there have been “important” safety and privateness dangers. In an announcement to The Verge, Nadine Higa, Apple’s director of public relations, stated:
At Apple, we construct our services with industry-leading privateness and safety applied sciences designed to place customers in command of their information and preserve private data secure. We have taken steps to guard our customers by blocking applied sciences that exploit pretend credentials to entry iMessage. These applied sciences posed important dangers to consumer safety and privateness, together with the potential for revealing metadata and enabling spam, spam, and phishing assaults. We are going to proceed to make updates sooner or later to guard our customers.
Beeper founder Eric Migicowski then informed The Verge: “If Apple actually cares in regards to the privateness and safety of iPhone customers, why would it not discontinue a service that now permits its customers to ship encrypted messages to Android customers, as an alternative of utilizing insecure SMS.” ?”
SMS messages, that are how Android and Apple customers talk, are usually not encrypted. Beeper shared this quote on his X account, repeating the declare that the app will increase safety:
The tweet may have been deleted
Sunday, Beeper posted another statement on X, explaining that he’s engaged on restarting the applying once more. “Work continues to repair the problem that induced the Beeper Mini to exit,” the submit learn. “We all know how troublesome it’s for many who liked utilizing the Beeper Mini, and we’re deeply sorry for the inconvenience. Nevertheless, we’re relieved, and hope to have excellent news to share quickly.”