The serious showdown between Apple and Beeper Mini has entered another phase. Just a few days after its launch, Beeper Mini was significantly blocked by Apple from seamlessly sending and receiving iMessages on Android devices, and now Beeper says that the iMessage app for Android is back again and it’s running.
A few days ago, Beeper Mini was being blocked by Apple because Beeper Mini wouldn’t be using a cloud server to allow users to use Apple’s service, like many other iMessages apps for Android. Apple further added that Beeper Mini’s technology can pose a significant risk to users’ security and privacy.
As a result, Apple confirmed that the Beeper Mini will not be around for too long and will not be back again; it’s just dead. Soon after, Beeper Mini is back again with a new update, which indeed helped in restoring the service for Android devices. However, the current update does require sideloading as the Play Store is still reviewing it, leaving the phone number support, and users will continue using iMessages via their Apple ID.
Although Beeper confirms that it’s still working on fixing the phone number registration, it might return in the future. For now, users will be required to sign in to the service using their Apple ID. They will be able to send or receive messages (blue bubbles) through their email address instead of their phone number.
At the same time, Beeper Mini was further added in response to certain chaos. Beeper Mini will be free to use, which originally required a $2/month subscription. As it will not be free forever, Apple has already made it very clear that it will not hesitate to significantly shut down Beeper’s service as the techniques can cause some significant risk to users’ security as well as privacy, including metadata exposure.
In addition, Apple further added that the brand will continue to roll out several updates in the future for its several Apple services so as to protect users’ security.
