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Show HN: Beeper Mini – iMessage client for Android

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Re: Show HN: Beeper Mini – iMessage client for Android

#431

Post by bredren »

jpalawaga wrote: post #145
InTheArena wrote: post #113

Its awesome to reverse engineer this... but.. At the end of the day, this product is taking money for using Apple Services with no recompense to Apple. It won't last. Apple should have added an iMessage client to Android (and charged for it) long, long, long ago, but it doesn't change the ethics problem here. (This is the downside to the "just pay for it with hardware" model people always love rather than paying subs…

iMessage is offered as a free service. If they would like to 'receive recompense', then they should simply charge people. Do we provide recompense to YCombinator for using hackernews?

> Do we provide recompense to YCombinator for using hackernews?

Yes. Asking this question is original content. My reply is additional. Those reading this thread are community members.

All of this drives the visibility of new YC batch application kickoffs. Ultimately, YC founders, and some of these early leads result in big investment returns.

Re: Show HN: Beeper Mini – iMessage client for Android

#432

Post by threeseed »

afavour wrote: post #425
threeseed wrote: post #422

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> because Apple have deeply coupled iMessage to the OS No they haven't. On my Mac it's just an app and a reusable framework. There is nothing stopping them releasing it on the App Store similar to Mail.

I’m talking about the iPhone.

Messages is the same on OSX and iOS.

It's not deeply integrated into the iOS by any normal definition. It's just shipped together.

Re: Show HN: Beeper Mini – iMessage client for Android

#433

Post by apitman »

oceanplexian wrote: post #315
saagarjha wrote: post #246

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This didn’t really say much. Apple definitely knows about Hackintosh users, they mostly just don’t care. The question is whether they will actually do something if made to care.

This is too high profile. Apple is absolutely, 100% going to kill this and it’s gonna screw this over for those of us who leverage iMessage in Hackintosh environments.

You might be right, but if ever there was a regulatory environment under which Apple would think twice, this might be it.

Re: Show HN: Beeper Mini – iMessage client for Android

#434

Post by oldandboring »

Thinking maybe this isn't working. I downloaded, installed. It said it detected all my chats with iPhone users and that I was 'upgraded' to iMessage chats with them. I then tried using Beeper Mini to message someone I know has an iPhone (continuing our existing chat that it 'upgraded' from SMS) and I asked him if I was coming up as a blue bubble and he said it's 'grey', not green and definitely not blue.

Re: Show HN: Beeper Mini – iMessage client for Android

#435

Post by dadoum »

stefan_ wrote: post #335
dadoum wrote: post #199

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I am not the developer but I also looked at that binary to help the project at some point. It's taken straight from OS X 10.8 (more precisely from an Update Combo on their download portal). It's calling NACInit, NACKeyEstablishment and NACSign functions from it (which have no entry points but with reverse engineering the offsets have been figured out). They are themselves relying on OS X system functions to get devic…

That seems like a problem. Emulating the protocol is okayish-to-gray but having the binary there will just be a straight DMCA. Wonder what the actual app is doing since this is just the PoC.

The app is not redistributing it, it just requests a server to get validation data (since anyway the actual library loading involves patching every system function, making the function independent from the host device, see [0] if you want to see how it's stubbed to run on Linux using a data.plist file), and thus there is no need to emulate it on device.

[0]: https://github.com/Dadoum/imd-apple-services

Re: Show HN: Beeper Mini – iMessage client for Android

#436

Post by zufallsheld »

I'm more interested in the future of now beeper cloud. As I understand it you will deprecate it at some point in the future. Does that mean that you will stop supporting the matrix bridges and go all in on the client side beeper?

Will beeper mini be open sourced?

Re: Show HN: Beeper Mini – iMessage client for Android

#437

Post by threeseed »

stefan_ wrote: post #335
dadoum wrote: post #199

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I am not the developer but I also looked at that binary to help the project at some point. It's taken straight from OS X 10.8 (more precisely from an Update Combo on their download portal). It's calling NACInit, NACKeyEstablishment and NACSign functions from it (which have no entry points but with reverse engineering the offsets have been figured out). They are themselves relying on OS X system functions to get devic…

That seems like a problem. Emulating the protocol is okayish-to-gray but having the binary there will just be a straight DMCA. Wonder what the actual app is doing since this is just the PoC.

There are reverse engineering/interoperability exemptions to the DMCA so it may not be that simple.

So would be curious if they have already sought legal advice which says they are in the clear.

Re: Show HN: Beeper Mini – iMessage client for Android

#438

Post by triangleman83 »

olliej wrote: post #279
kelnos wrote: post #230

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I think it's a lot more nuanced than that. Should we, as a society, allow companies to lock people into platforms, and discriminate against those who have decided not to fall prey to that lock-in? Especially when avoiding that lock-in (which is often a passive financial/economic choice, not an active rights/freedom one) actually causes social and emotional harm (the whole "green bubble bullying" is a real thing; yes,…

No it's not. Running a service costs money. That money has to come from somewhere. Google makes that money by spying on people and using that for ads. Apple makes that money by selling hardware. You're saying that both companies should be required to provide the services they render, but apple's model of paying for it by selling hardware should be banned. Also, go talk to someone who has bought a new car, and ask the…

I do have a spare iPhone in a drawer, still works and can message on iMessage. There, I have purchased Apple hardware, now can I use iMessage on my Android phone?

Re: Show HN: Beeper Mini – iMessage client for Android

#439

Post by solardev »

xsrMcVdvV3 wrote: post #142
ysofunny wrote: post #72

Earlier quoted context omitted.

but now explain this in "Legaleeze" to Apple, to Nintendo, etc....

Notwithstanding the provisions of subsections (a)(2) and (b), a person may develop and employ technological means to circumvent a technological measure, or to circumvent protection afforded by a technological measure, in order to enable the identification and analysis under paragraph (1), or for the purpose of enabling interoperability of an independently created computer program with other programs, if such means ar…

Has this ever succeeded in court? Has it ever even gotten to court or do people just give up at the first lawyer's letter?

Re: Show HN: Beeper Mini – iMessage client for Android

#440

Post by yellow_lead »

zufallsheld wrote: post #436

I'm more interested in the future of now beeper cloud. As I understand it you will deprecate it at some point in the future. Does that mean that you will stop supporting the matrix bridges and go all in on the client side beeper? Will beeper mini be open sourced?

From their description it seems like they will move these into beeper mini and drop the "mini."
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