So there was a new way of getting iMessage on Android, but then there weren’t a lot of people got angry including Elizabeth Warren and now it’s back. . kind of. Here’s what you need to know.
Even though Apple has agreed to bring RCS to iMessage, so we’ll get essentially the majority of the same features, a lot of Android users want that blue bubble. After Nothing Chats turned out to be a privacy nightmare, Beeper mini tried to do it the right way. So much so, Apple got involved and shut the program down.
Apple iMessage vs. Beeper Mini
Unlike its other iteration Beeper Mini would allow you to use iMessage without the use of a Mac relay server in a data center. On its first release you didn’t even need an Apple ID. The tradeoff was that, currently you can’t use it for regular RCS messages, it would only be able to work with chats using iMessage.
Apple did not like this. So, they shut it down Friday saying it was over “Security Concerns” which is weird since the original Beeper app has been around for over a year and is far less secure. At least to the end-user anyway. This move naturally made a ton of people upset. Including Senator Elizabeth Warren who accused the company of trying to protect profits from competitors.
Apple’s War Against RCS Continues
As of Monday, Beeper Mini is back online (for now). It’s changed a bit though. Now you HAVE to use your Apple ID to have iMessage work and the app is now free vs. the previous $2 monthly subscription. That said, Apple said it will continue to try to stop Beeper and other companies trying to dupe their messaging app. Even if it comes with the ire of Antitrust regulators.