A new messaging app, Beeper Mini, which had allowed users to run the iMessage app on Android phones, appears to be no longer functioning. The cause? Apple disabled it, according to various reports and sources, including comments on Reddit.
But shouldn’t messaging apps function like strong, open-minded family units, letting you take part in discussions, finding out when the next family party is, or even giving you important info on what to buy a strange great uncle you haven’t seen for years for his 89th birthday? And no matter what type of person you are (an Apple iPhone family member or friend or Android family member or friend), shouldn’t you be able to communicate with each other, via these messaging apps? That was the hope, at least, when the Beeper Mini app launched earlier this week, which provided a secure way to run the iMessage app on Android phones, provided that you were willing to pay a subscription fee. (There was a 7-day free trial and then a $1.99/month subscription fee).
However, as actor Strother Martin declared in the classic film, Cool Hand Luke, it now appears “What we’ve got here is failure to communicate.” And so the dream of Android phones getting blue bubbles of text is over.
What we’ve got here is failure to communicate.
The basis of this app came from a high school student who formed the start of the app at just 16 years old, according to The Verge, and was then turned into an available Android app by Beeper CEO, Eric Migicovsky. Essentially, the team at Beeper was able to use reverse engineering to produce the app, which allowed you to use it without even having an Apple ID.
One of the aspects that’s disappointing is that there was something quite inventive about Beeper Mini’s approach: As we reported earlier this week, “Unlike the Nothing app and Beeper’s previous attempts, the workaround this app uses is all within the app. Your account is still registered to you and sent from the Android phone to Apple’s servers without Beeper touching it.”
What’s also a shame is that there was something very elegant about many aspects of the app. For starters, as we reported earlier, “setup is incredibly easy…. You’ll be able to use the Beeper Mini app to do everything native to iMessage on iPhone, including reacting to messages, sending high-quality images, taking part in group chats, and even editing blue bubbles.”
We’ll be sure to update this and other stories if there are additional developments to this story.