Apple Shuts Down App That Enabled Android Users To Send iMessages With Blue Bubbles
An app called "Beeper" allowed Android users to text with blue iMessage bubbles but now, Apple has shut down the app.
How does Beeper work?
In typical cases, users need an Apple device and Apple ID to use iMessage. However, the developers of Beeper Mini developed a way to link a phone number with iMessage that would connect with Apple servers. This way, Android phones were able to send iMessages with that appeared as blue bubbles instead of green.
Beeper claimed that all communication via the app was end-to-end encrypted but Apple claims that there are "significant" risks to security and privacy.?
Apple's senior PR manager Nadine Haija told The Verge the following - "We took steps to protect our users by blocking techniques that exploit fake credentials in order to gain access to iMessage. These techniques posed significant risks to user security and privacy, including the potential for metadata exposure and enabling unwanted messages, spam, and phishing attacks. We will continue to make updates in the future to protect our users."
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Beeper founder Eric Migicovsky told The Verge - "if Apple truly cares about the privacy and security of their own iPhone users, why would they stop a service that enables their own users to now send encrypted messages to Android users, rather than using unsecure SMS?"
What happens to Beeper now?
SMS messages that enable communication between Android and iOS are unencrypted. On Sunday, Beeper wrote on X that it's working to get the app running again.
"Work continues to fix the issue causing the Beeper Mini outage," an X post stated. "We know how hard this has been for those who loved using Beeper Mini, and we're extremely sorry for the inconvenience. We are feeling good, though, and hope to have good news to share soon."
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The app stopped working for users on Friday. At that point, co-founder Migicovsky noted an "iMessage outage" and that "messages are failing to send and receive." Later, Migicovsky suggested to The Verge and TechCrunch that according to Beeper data, it seems to an action taken on Apple's side to block the service, which was later confirmed by Apple.
What do you think about Apple's decision to shut down Beeper? Let us know in the comments below.?For more in the world of?technology?and?science, keep reading?Indiatimes.com?and?click here?for our how-to guides.
