Beeper Mini, the “iMessage for Android” app, is back in business after Apple shut it down

The ‘blue bubble green bubble war’ is not over yet. Over the last weekend, Apple shut down Beeper Mini, an “iMessage for Android” app, from the startup Beeper, as the app apparently exploited an iMessage flaw that could have put the users at risk of privacy and security woes. Now, a few days later, the app is up and running again. But there is a catch.
Beeper Mini has made changes to its registration process for iMessage.Previously, users were automatically registered with their phone number. But for now,Beeper is halting the phone number registrations, and users are required to sign in with their Apple ID. Beeper says it is working on a solution to restore phone number registration, so for now, users can only receive or send messages through their email addresses.
The company claims that the app received over 100,000 downloads within the first 48 hours and quickly rose to become one of the top 20 apps in the Play Store charts. However, the ratings have dropped since the fiasco over the last weekend.
One last week for Beeper Mini
Apple struck Beeper Mini down within a week after the app went live on the Play Store, saying that the app exploited the fake credentials to access the iMessage, which Apple blocked, causing the users to be unable to send or receive texts through the app.
“We deeply object to the allegation that Beeper Mini’ poses significant risks to user security and privacy’,” wrote the company in the blog post, adding that Apple’s claim “is completely untrue.” Beeper says that “the opposite is actually true,” and the app only strengthens the “security and privacy of both Android and iPhone customers.”
US Senator Elizabeth Warren from Massachusetts voiced her support for Beeper, as it was blocked by Apple. Warren said, “Green bubble texts are less secure. So why would Apple block an app allowing Android users to chat with iPhone users? Big Tech is squashing competitors to protect profits.” She calls for easy and secure cross-platform messaging.
These techniques, according to Apple, pose significant risks to user privacy and security and could even lead to unwanted messages, spam, and phishing attacks. Beeper says that it uses the same level of encryption as Apple, and has even agreed to a third-party security audit. Furthermore, it suggests adding a pager emoji to the metadata on all the Beeper Mini messages so the Messages app on Apple devices can filter out messages from the apps’ users.
The app will be free to use for now as Beeper tries to fix issues with Apple. Initially, the app required a $2/Rs 180-per-month subscription. Beeper says that it is not “comfortable” asking users to pay, but it will look to resume subscriptions once its feud with Apple is over.
FYI, Apple has agreed to adopt the RCS (Rich Communication Standard) for iMessage, which solves most of the complaints Android users have had, but it still does not end the blue bubble green bubble situation. Apple in its statement said that it “will continue to make updates in the future to safeguard our users.” So, the Beeper’s feud with Apple could continue further.