The Beeper Mini saga resulted in the company’s promise of iMessage for Android ultimately being blocked by Apple, and now the app isn’t available through the Play Store any longer. However, Beeper isn’t done with the app.
Beeper Mini launched in December using a wild reverse-engineered method of accessing iMessage through Android phones with no sign-in needed, and using the phone number on your Android device. While initially the method seemed pretty solid and potentially hard for Apple to kill, Apple responded quickly by blocking much of Beeper’s functionality. As Beeper fought back, Apple just continued to make the situation more dire, leading to Beeper mostly throwing in the towel, giving users an iPhone or Mac-based workaround to keep things functional.
As a result of this, Beeper Mini has been removed from the Google Play Store. Beeper Cloud remains available, and Mini is still available for sideloading for those who wish to use it.
The removal actually occurred a couple of weeks ago, but was announced officially today in messaging sent to Beeper Cloud users. Beeper Cloud also now lists iMessage integration as a “Labs” feature.
We have moved iMessage to ‘Labs’ in Beeper Cloud and removed Beeper Mini from the Play Store…
In that same announcement, Beeper’s Eric Migicovsky once again updated users on the company’s forward roadmap. This includes that the company is currently working to port its other chat app services from Cloud to Mini, and is also working on a “big performance boost” to its desktop app.
Our #1 priority right now is the Beeper Android app. As we explained in our Product Roadmap post, our beautiful and fast Beeper Mini app is now the foundation of the brand new Beeper Android app. We’re currently in the process of adding all 14 other chat networks in. It’s a completely new app, with a new design, built for top speed and performance. Android friends – get excited 🙂
We’re also working on a big performance boost for Beeper Desktop, improvements to the Linkedin, Instagram, and Google Messages bridges, among many other things!
More on Beeper:
- Beeper acknowledges ‘unsustainable’ iMessage for Android fight, latest fix is its last & responds to Apple claims
- iMessage for Android was fun while it lasted
- Apple confirms that it shut down Beeper Mini’s iMessage for Android, and will continue to do so
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