A few days ago, the mobile app BeeperMini was back up and running after Apple attempted to shut down its iMessage blue bubble texting service for Android users. Now, Apple is targeting Beeper users again. The company published an article on However, Beeper says there's a workaround this time: just uninstall and reinstall the app.
Beeper also noted that the developers are working on a broader fix for the issue, but it's not ready yet.
BeeperCloud users are also affected, the company said in the post, referring to its original messaging app aggregator, but said those users can also contact BeeperHelp for a fix.
Beeper CEO Eric Migicovsky told us that Beeper Cloud has been fixed and Beeper Mini has been "basically fixed."
The startup has been engaged in a fierce whack-a-mole battle with Apple since launching its iMessage-on-Android solution last week. Beeper leveraged new technology to reverse-engineer the iMessage protocol, launching an app that allows Android users to chat with iPhone users as if they were also using the iMessage platform. This includes registering your phone number on iMessage with an Android phone.
Although Beeper argued that Apple couldn't shut down its service because BeeperMini users communicated directly with Apple servers, just like iPhones, Apple responded quickly on Friday by terminating BeeperMini operations. But the startup isn't giving up. This week, it rolled out a fix that once again allows Android users to send iMessages, but this time only with Apple ID verification.
Apple's move to shut down the new Beeper app has attracted the attention of lawmakers, with US Senator Elizabeth Warren scolding the tech giants for shutting down the app, adding: "Big Tech executives are protecting profits by suppressing competitors. Chatting between different platforms should be simple and secure."
While Beeper claims its service is end-to-end encrypted, like iMessage, Apple believes its technology poses security risks to users. As a result, Apple said in a statement shared with the media that "it is necessary to protect our users by taking steps to block techniques that use false credentials to gain access to iMessage."
Beeper then challenged Apple to agree to a third-party security audit of its services to allay the tech giant's concerns.
The startup, founded by Pebble smartwatch founder Eric Migicovsky, initially focused on developing a multi-service messaging app aggregator, but launched BeeperMini to leverage new technology to deliver iMessage to Android users for $1.99 per month. Since Apple's involvement has destabilized BeeperMini, the startup is temporarily offering the new app to Android users for free.