UPDATE: 2023/12/11 11:02 EST BY BRADY SNYDER

Beeper Mini has restored iMessage access, for now, with limited functionality

Beeper announced in a blog post that it had restored iMessage functionality in the Beeper Mini app. To get the app working again, users will need to directly download the update from Beeper's website, as it is not available in the Play Store yet. However, Beeper Mini no longer works with an Android phone number. That means users will need to sign in with an Apple ID to regain access to iMessage, eliminating Beeper Mini's best feature. Consequently, users' associated email addresses will be visible to the recipients. The development comes days after Apple said it "took steps to protect our users by blocking techniques that exploit fake credentials in order to gain access to iMessage," by disrupting Beeper Mini. You can read the original story below.

UPDATE: 2023/12/08 15:49 EST BY BRADY SNYDER

Apple appears to have cut off Beeper Mini's access to iMessage

Beeper announced that it was investigating reports of an outage on Friday, Dec. 3. Users reported seeing a "failed to lookup on server" error while attempting to send a message, which we were able to confirm in the Beeper Mini app. Later, Beeper's CEO Eric Migicovsky told TechCrunch that "all data indicates" Apple was able to cut off the app's access to iMessage. It's unclear if Beeper will be able to regain access to iMessage, or in what capacity.

Summary

  • Beeper Mini allowed you to set up iMessage on Android without needing an Apple ID or having to risk your personal information without end-to-end encryption.
  • The setup process for Beeper Mini was simple and quick. It didn't require any technical know-how like other methods.
  • Beeper Mini offered all the core features of iMessage, including typing indicators, read receipts, and blue bubbles, making it a groundbreaking option for Android users.

There's been a lot of momentum around getting iMessage on Android lately, both in terms of third-party solutions and from official sources. Apple even surprisingly announced RCS will come to the iPhone next year. However, that isn't cross-platform iMessage. The few third-party options to debut recently also came with some alarming security concerns.

Sunbird and Nothing Chats, for example, were iMessage clients that relayed messages through Mac Mini server farms, but those apps were quickly shut down since user information could be read through plain text code. Beeper used the same Mac Mini method and was a bit safer, but still required your Apple ID to be signed in to a computer in some remote location. That's why, up until now, the best and safest way to get iMessage on Android was through either Bluebubbles or AirMessage.

Thankfully, Beeper has cracked the code with Beeper Mini. The team has reverse-engineered iMessage to enable it on Android with fully-authenticated tokens from Apple servers. It's so effective that you don't even need an Apple ID for it to work — it'll just use your regular phone number. We tried it, and it's the only way you should be using iMessage on Android without setting up your own servers.

The best part about Beeper Mini is the simple setup

You don't even have to sign in with your Apple ID

The messages list on the Beeper Mini app.

I've set up iMessage on Android quite a few times now, and while I'd say that makes me fairly experienced, it still takes me about 10–20 minutes to get everything set up. I daily drive AirMessage on my Pixel Fold and have to deal with occasional crashes and unresponsiveness as well.

Beeper Mini solves all of this. I was able to set up the app in under five minutes on the first try. It's so easy that if you want to try it yourself, you can do so by following the steps below:

How to set it up for yourself

  1. Download Beeper Mini from the Google Play Store.
  2. After opening Beeper Mini, tap Continue with Google to sign in with your Google account.
  3. Press allow, consenting to receive system notifications from Beeper Mini.
  4. Tap next after reading the explanatory text.
    The sign in with Google page on Beeper Mini.
    Allow notifications for beeper mini prompt.
    The explanation prompt of Beeper Mini.
  5. Press Start my 7 day free trial to continue.

    Remember to cancel by going to your Google Play account if you don't want to continue paying after the trial ends.

  6. Wait for Beeper Mini to register your number with iMessage on Apple's servers.
  7. Update your name and profile image if you'd like, then press next.
  8. Then, tap let's go to continue to the app.
    The free trial and subscription page in the Beeper Mini app.
    The customize profile page of Beeper Mini.
    Imported messages from chats in Beeper Mini.
  9. Start sending iMessages with your Android phone.

Simplicity doesn't sacrifice security

Your device communicates directly with Apple's servers

Texts on an Android phone sent via iMessage.

The breakthrough with Beeper Mini is that it runs a tokenized iMessage client. This means that, on Apple's end, it sees your Android phone running Beeper Mini the same as any other iPhone. Beeper won't be able to see a user's messages, contacts, or password — that all goes directly to Apple with end-to-end encryption. To further stifle any security concerns, Beeper has pledged to make the code that powers Beeper Mini open source so researchers can review it.

Really, the only potential issue is that a user's password and two-factor authentication codes are sent from your device to Apple's servers over the HTTPS protocol. When these passwords and codes are sent to Apple from a real Apple device, they are secured with end-to-end encryption. However, HTTPS is still encrypted, so Beeper Mini is still the safest option so far.

You get all of iMessage's biggest features

Typing indicators, read receipts, and yes — blue bubbles — are all here

A series of texts via iMessage on Android and iPhone.

Another big benefit of Beeper Mini is that you get all the core features iMessage is known for. You won't get everything, such as iMessage apps and other exclusive tools. But the things that really matter to iMessage users — like typing indicators, read receipts, editing messages, unsending messages, and, of course, blue bubbles — all work as normal. That's significant because some of these features don't work on other options like AirMessage and Bluebubbles. While it's possible to get typing indicators working on Bluebubbles, it requires a lot of technical know-how.

By comparison, you're getting the core iMessage experience with Beeper Mini after just a few minutes of setup. You also get to use your actual phone number — the one that's connected to your SIM card. Nobody was able to figure that out before Beeper. There have been a few somewhat alright ways to get a phone number to work on Android, but it requires an iPhone connected to Wi-Fi constantly, a spare SIM card, and a tricky initial activation process. Even after all that, it's guaranteed to fail once Apple servers try to re-register the cellular line. This is all to say that Beeper Mini is nothing short of groundbreaking.

Will people actually pay for Beeper Mini?

Will this functionality actually entice people to switch to Android?

Beeper Mini on a Pixel Fold in the Google Play Store.

There have been a lot of discussions around Beeper Mini since its launch, and they center around three questions: Is it legal? Will Apple break it? Will people actually pay monthly for iMessage on Android? Let's tackle those questions in order.

  1. Beeper surely thinks so, and copyright law generally protects reverse-engineering software. The company says no Apple code is used in Beeper Mini, which should keep Beeper Mini safe from legal claims, but we really don't know.
  2. Since Beeper is using a fully tokenized iMessage client, Apple can't stop it from working without changing how iMessage registrations work on Apple devices. The consensus is that Apple breaking Beeper Mini would require also bricking iMessage on a bunch of older official products, so it probably isn't an option.
  3. Maybe?

Currently, Beeper Mini costs $2 per month after a seven-day free trial. In the U.S., where the app is likely to be most appealing, that's half the price of a cup of coffee. A $2 subscription is, quite frankly, pocket change for many people who pay much more for everything from food and essentials to subscription streaming services. If I were a full-time Android user who needed to have iMessage, that fee would make Beeper Mini a no-brainer.

The better question to ask is, how many Android users are dying to have iMessage? Right now, people in the U.S. who consider iMessage a necessity probably already own an iPhone. People who choose Android, similarly, have lived without it for some time now. For Beeper Mini to succeed, iPhone users have to view Beeper Mini as a reason to finally switch to a great Android phone. Personally, I think there's a lot more to keeping iPhone users on iPhone than just iMessage. Regardless, Beeper Mini is finally an iMessage client for Android worth using, and it's clearly a breakthrough.