Beeper launches Beeper Mini, an Android app with complete Apple iMessage features

Messaging app Beeper has unveiled Beeper Mini, a new Android app offering full Apple Messages functionality (yes, blue bubbles included). Unlike other apps, Beeper Mini enables Android users to send and receive iMessages from iOS devices without the need for a server or Mac-based backend. Once installed, the app automatically identifies the ability to receive group iMessages, ensuring no message loss and a seamless transition. It supports many iMessage features, including those introduced with iOS 17 in September., such as high-resolution media, threads, direct messages, group chats, and more.

We recently learned that Sunbird Messaging, another app known for providing iMessage access to Android users (and in fact, the app on which Nothing Chats would be based), is suspending its operations on Android due to security concerns. In contrast to Sunbird and Beeper's original app, Beeper Mini connects directly to Apple servers, eliminating the need for a Mac relay server, and addressing security issues that led to the removal of Nothing Chats from the Google Play. Beeper Mini's direct connection to Apple servers maintains end-to-end encryption and ensures that the keys are stored only on the user's device, similar to other messaging apps like Signal. The platform doesn't even require access to your Apple ID, addressing one of the main privacy concerns with this kind of third-party apps.

Apple has yet to comment on Beeper's implementation, and it is uncertain if Apple will take action against Beeper, but the asserts that its method is legal. There are rumors that Apple may address this access in future iMessage protocol updates, potentially encouraging the use of RCS messaging and incorporating it into iOS next year, but in the meantine, the new app, available on Google Play now, operates on a subscription model, with a 7-day free trial followed by a $1.99 monthly fee for continued iMessage access.