iMessage was previously only available to users of Apple devices. However, the new messaging service Beeper promises to make iMessage available on Android too.
Although iMessage cannot keep up with WhatsApp’s user numbers, it is particularly popular with users of Apple devices. But that could soon change.
The Beeper app promises to make iMessage available on Android too. We’ll show you what’s behind it.
Does Beeper bring iMessage to Android?
When you use Beeper on your Android device, the app scans all SMS chats and finds out which of your contacts use iMessage. If you then send a message to one of these contacts, it is automatically sent as an iMessage.
Your contact will be unaware of this. This is because the messages are displayed on the receiving device in the blue bubble typical of iMessage.
The app accesses iMessage directly, as CEO Eric Migicovsky explained to The Verge. The developers had figured out how to register a phone number directly with iMessage. This way, your messages from Beeper land directly on Apple’s server and are forwarded as a normal iMessage.
Beeper bypasses Apple verification
In a previous version, Beeper used a Mac hosted in the cloud to send iMessages. However, this opens up enormous security gaps.
For the new version, the Beeper team “deconstructed Apple’s messaging pipeline from start to finish”. The most difficult part was a review by Apple to check whether the Beeper device was actually an Apple device.
This is how you can use iMessage on Android
As Beeper – like an iPhone – establishes a direct connection with the Apple servers, you do not need to log in to the service. Beeper also has no access to your messages or your Apple ID data.
The service will cost two US dollars per month at launch. In addition to iMessage, it should also be possible to access other messengers such as WhatsApp or Signal via Beeper in the future.
