Beeper, the application designed to bring iMessage functionality to Android users, is introducing a solution aimed at restoring access to its service following Apple’s recent block. To implement this fix, users will now need either a Mac computer or a Beeper-connected friend with a Mac.
According to a Reddit post from the company, when users link iMessage on Beeper, it requires the transmission of “registration data,” essentially identification information, from an authentic Mac. Beeper had initially utilized its own array of Mac servers for this purpose, but Apple easily targeted this approach due to the widespread use of identical registration data by thousands of Beeper users.
With the impending update set to launch tomorrow, Beeper will adopt a new approach, generating unique registration data for each user.
The post explains, “This 1:1 mapping of registration data to individual users – in our testing – makes the connection very reliable. If you use Beeper Mini, you can use your Mac registration data with it as well, and Beeper Mini will start to work again. Beeper needs to periodically regenerate this data even after you’ve connected, roughly once per week or month, so the Mac needs to be switched on regularly.”
Beeper suggests that users can ask a friend on Beeper with a Mac if they can utilize their registration data, emphasizing that in testing, 10 to 20 iMessage users could safely share the same registration data.
The company also announced its intention to open source the complete iMessage bridge, along with the Mac code responsible for generating registration data.
As of now, Apple has not responded to TechCrunch’s request for comment on the matter.
While the proposed fix aims to sustain Beeper, it does place certain limitations on the service, which initially provided iMessage access without an Apple device. Users have expressed mixed sentiments on platforms like Reddit, with some frustrated by the limitations and others viewing it as a practical solution to integrate various messaging apps in one place.
Given Apple’s recent actions against Beeper, the longevity of this fix remains uncertain, especially considering the backdrop of a bipartisan group of U.S. lawmakers urging the Department of Justice to investigate Apple’s potential anticompetitive treatment of Beeper. The lawmakers highlighted the importance of interoperability and interconnections in fostering competition and consumer choice in communication services.
