Beeper Mini debuted on Tuesday, promising to bring secure iMessage functionality to Android, and initially, it performed exceptionally well. However, in less than a week, the app appears to have encountered issues.
Recently, iMessage apps for Android have grown more common, often with questionable security arrangements. Beeper Mini took a unique and innovative route by entirely reverse engineering iMessage, enabling users to directly sign into their Apple ID and link their Android phone number. Remarkably, the company even devised a method to solely link a phone number, bypassing the requirement for an Apple ID. The functionality was highly effective.
The lingering question was how long the app would remain functional.
Our answer might have arrived as this afternoon, Beeper Mini suddenly ceased working for seemingly all users.
Numerous reports from Reddit and other platforms verify that Beeper Mini is presently incapable of sending or receiving messages for many users. Additionally, some users mention that the Apple ID sign-in is malfunctioning when attempting to reinstall the app or activate it on a new device.
The precise reason behind this issue remains unclear. In our own evaluation, the app displayed an error message stating, “failed to lookup on server; lookup request timed out.”
We’ve contacted Beeper for a comment, and although a specific reason wasn’t disclosed, CEO Eric Migicovsky acknowledged that the company is investigating the issue. According to a response on Reddit from a Beeper representative, they mentioned that the problem lies on their end.
Update: Eric Migicovsky hinted in discussions with 9to5Google that the issue might stem from Apple, although not explicitly confirming it. However, when speaking to TechCrunch, he mentioned that “all data indicates” that the problem originated from Apple.
If indeed the issue is related to Apple, the primary question arises – if Apple genuinely prioritizes the privacy and security of iPhone users, why would they attempt to hinder a service that facilitates encrypted chats from iPhones to Android users? Apple’s recent announcement of RCS support suggests they recognize a significant gap in this area. With Beeper Mini already functioning effectively, why push iPhone users toward sending unencrypted SMS when communicating with friends on Android?
Additionally, users have discovered that the de-register option within Beeper Mini is also not operational.
