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Beeper (application)

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Beeper
Other names
  • NovaChat
  • Beeper Cloud
Original author(s)
Developer(s)
Initial release2020;4 years ago(2020)
Repositorygithub/beeper
Operating system
Standard(s)Matrix
Websitebeeper

Beeperis aninstant messagingservice that enables using a variety of chat services and protocols all from the sameapplication.Originally developed by Beeper Inc, it was acquired byAutomatticin April 2024.

Features

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Beeper supports a variety of chat services and protocols, includingDiscord,Facebook Messenger,IRC,Matrix,Signal,Skype,Slack,SMS/RCS(viaGoogle Messages),Telegram,andWhatsApp.[1][2][3]The app used to support iMessage, but has since been removed due to unreliable performance caused by Apple.[4]Beeper is built on top of theMatrixprotocol andElementapplication, bridged to the other services[5].

History

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Previous logo

Beeper was created in 2020 byEric Migicovsky,Brad Murray and Tulir Asokan[6][7][8]as NovaChat. The company is located inPalo Alto,California.[6]Migicovsky was previously the founder of smartwatch companyPebble.[1]

The company renamed the app from Beeper to Beeper Cloud upon launching Beeper Mini in December 2023.[9]It got renamed back into Beeper in 2024.[citation needed]

In April 2024,Automattic,owner of the similar cross-platform messaging application Texts since the year before, acquired Beeper for $125M.[10][11]The plan is for Texts and Beeper to merge under the Beeper brand.[12]

Beeper Mini

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Beeper Mini was a version of the application focused on supportingiMessageonAndroid.

In 2023, James Gill – a 16-year-oldSaucon Valley High Schoolstudent at the time –reverse engineeredApple'siMessageinstant messaging protocol after inspecting thenetwork trafficgenerated byApple MusiconWindowsand by iMessage onmacOS.Gill published aproof of conceptcalled Pypush that reimplemented iMessage in thePythonprogramming language and released it onGitHub.After Gill contacted Migicovsky viaDiscordin August 2023, Migicovsky hired Gill to apply the implementation in Beeper Mini.[13][14][15]

On December 5, 2023, the company released Beeper Mini, anAndroidapp that can send messages through Apple'siMessageinstant messaging service.[15][13]The app was marketed as a way for Android users to communicate withiOSusers through chat bubbles that are blue, the color used byMessages– the built-in text messaging app oniPhones– to show texts sent through iMessage.[16]Apple keeps iMessageexclusive to Apple devicesand only allows Messages to communicate with Android users through the lesser-featuredSMSprotocol with texts that are displayed in green chat bubbles, which are disfavored among some iPhone users who perceive them as an indicator of lowersocial status.[13][17]Beeper Mini uses areverse-engineeredimplementation of the iMessagecommunication protocolthat supports some of iMessage's features, including blue chat bubbles andend-to-end encryption.[18]

Beeper Mini was downloaded more than 100,000 times within two days of launch. After the release, Apple repeatedly blocked Beeper Mini from sending messages through iMessage, and Beeper updated the app multiple times to circumvent Apple's blocks.[17]On December 21, 2023, Beeper issued its last update to Beeper Mini, which requires users to access an iOS ormacOSdevice to enable the app to send messages through iMessage.[19]

At the urging of congresspersonsAmy Klobuchar,Mike Lee,Jerry Nadler,andKen Buck,[20]theUnited States Department of Justiceinitiated anantitrust investigationon December 22, 2023 to examine Apple's blocking of Beeper Mini.[21]

Beeper Mini was discontinued in 2024.[22]

References

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  1. ^abPorter, Jon (21 January 2021)."Pebble founder promises iMessage on Android and Windows with universal chat app".The Verge.Retrieved24 December2023.
  2. ^Perez, Sarah (5 December 2023)."Beeper reverse-engineered iMessage to bring blue bubble texts to Android users".TechCrunch.Retrieved24 December2023.
  3. ^Schoon, Ben (17 August 2023)."Beeper adds support for Google Messages RCS alongside iMessage, works on Android and iPhone".9to5Google.Retrieved5 January2024.
  4. ^Roth, Emma (2023-12-21)."Beeper is giving up on its iMessage dream".The Verge.Retrieved2024-05-19.
  5. ^"Beeper Tackles iMessage Lock-In and Reinvents Consumer Chat Interop".m.io.Retrieved2024-07-19.
  6. ^ab"Beeper Mini, the iMessage app for Android, gives you the blue bubble".The Indian Express.6 December 2023.Retrieved24 December2023.
  7. ^Holt, Kris (11 December 2023)."Beeper Mini is back, promising iMessage access on Android if you sign in with an Apple ID".Engadget.Retrieved24 December2023.
  8. ^Perez, Sarah (2021-01-21)."Pebble founder launches Beeper, a universal chat app that works with iMessage and others".TechCrunch.Retrieved2024-04-11.
  9. ^Myrick, Andrew (6 December 2023)."How to use iMessage on Android with Beeper Mini".Android Central.Retrieved24 December2023.
  10. ^Perez, Sarah."WordPress owner Automattic acquires multiservice messaging app Beeper for $125M".Tech Crunch.Retrieved9 April2024.
  11. ^Purdy, Kevin (2024-04-09)."Wordpress owner acquires Beeper, giving it two chat apps to rule them all".Ars Technica.Retrieved2024-04-11.
  12. ^Perez, Sarah (2024-04-09)."WordPress owner Automattic acquires multiservice messaging app Beeper for $125M".TechCrunch.Retrieved2024-04-11.
  13. ^abcMickle, Tripp; Isaac, Mike (22 December 2023)."Apple's Newest Headache: An App That Upended Its Control Over Messaging".The New York Times.Retrieved24 December2023.
  14. ^Goode, Lauren (5 December 2023)."Meet the 16-Year-Old Whose Code Is Jailbreaking iMessage".Wired.Retrieved24 December2023.
  15. ^abKastrenakes, Jacob (5 December 2023)."There's a new iMessage for Android app — and it actually works".The Verge.Retrieved24 December2023.
  16. ^Kent, Jo Ling; Novak, Analisa (18 December 2023)."New app seeks to end iPhone-Android text color bubble divide - CBS News".CBS News.Retrieved24 December2023.
  17. ^abNguyen, Nicole (22 December 2023)."The Fight Over Apple's iMessage and Those Green Bubbles".The Wall Street Journal.Archived fromthe originalon 22 December 2023.Retrieved24 December2023.
  18. ^Purdy, Kevin (5 December 2023)."Beeper Mini for Android sends and receives iMessages, no Mac server required".Ars Technica.Retrieved24 December2023.
  19. ^Bonk, Lawrence (21 December 2023)."Beeper says it's done playing cat and mouse with Apple over its iMessage for Android app".Engadget.Retrieved24 December2023.
  20. ^Holt, Kris (18 December 2023)."US lawmakers call for DOJ probe into Apple's blocking of Beeper's iMessage app".Engadget.Retrieved24 December2023.
  21. ^Lovejoy, Ben (22 December 2023)."Department of Justice investigating Apple blocking Beeper; FTC too".9to5Mac.Retrieved24 December2023.
  22. ^"Beeper – Moving Forward".Beeper Blog.2023-12-21.Retrieved2024-06-27.

Further reading

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