Beeper halts iMessage integration after reported user bans on Macs

Beeper halts iMessage integration after reported user bans on Macs،

In its ongoing conflict with Apple over access to iMessages, Beeper, the universal messaging app, appears to have given up. In a recent announcement, the company revealed its decision to disable new iMessage connections on its main app, Beeper Cloud. This decision effectively marks a complete shutdown of the service, at least for the moment. Following user reports, it appeared that Beeper users who used the bypass method of connecting the “Cloud” or “Mini” app to iMessage via their Mac computers, were somehow banned from using iMessage. Although this only affects a minority of Beeper users (around 30 out of 3,500), the bans were enough to raise concerns about Apple's aggressive approach to unauthorized third-party access to its mail service.

According to Beeper (via Android Center), the bans began shortly after the app released an update last month, which coincided with the company's transition from relying on its own servers and requiring users to request permission to use their Mac. This worked for a while, but apparently Apple eventually caught on and reportedly banned some of these connections.

Beeper did contact Apple directly, but never received a response or explanation about the bans. Nonetheless, after attracting media attention from the New York Times, Apple apparently quickly resolved the issue and lifted the ban on affected users within two days. This was documented in great detail in an X/Twitter article published by the company.

Apple banned some Mac computers using Beeper, the New York Times investigated, Apple has lifted the ban.

The saga continues! Even after shifting our energy from iMessage to our core product Beeper (15 universal networked chat apps), Apple can't seem to get enough!

Here is the TLDR: pic.twitter.com/pMln2xK6Kf

-Beeper (@onbeeper) January 26, 2024

Apple claimed the bans were due to “spam,” but Beeper and affected users say they received no warnings or noticed any suspicious behavior. As a result, Beeper has decided to completely disable new iMessage connections on its platform. If the company does not completely exclude the possibility of reactivating the accessibility of iMessage via Beeper in the future, the current situation effectively puts an end to it.

Beeper previously announced plans to refocus its efforts on improving its desktop and mobile apps, as well as adding support for more email services in the long term. Beeper's desktop and mobile applications (except Beeper Mini) remain fully operational, providing a convenient solution for multiple email services and currently supporting an impressive range of 14 different platforms. This is what Beeper will now become, a universal messaging application, without iMessage of course.