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I built an iMessage bot using Beeper

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Re: I built an iMessage bot using Beeper

#21

Post by danaris »

pie314isi wrote: post #16

In the slightly olden days, iMessage - or whatever it was called then - had a built in jabber client, and there was brief period (Sierra era?) that iMessage/iCloud could sync up all your messages across google and apple and SMS. I _think_ it would have enabled this functionality, if anyone knew and/or investigated it.

Yep, this is when it was called iChat. I used it for that exact purpose for some time. This was before Apple had their own protocol, though; I believe it just supported AIM and XMPP.

Re: I built an iMessage bot using Beeper

#22

Post by pie314isi »

danaris wrote: post #21
pie314isi wrote: post #16

In the slightly olden days, iMessage - or whatever it was called then - had a built in jabber client, and there was brief period (Sierra era?) that iMessage/iCloud could sync up all your messages across google and apple and SMS. I _think_ it would have enabled this functionality, if anyone knew and/or investigated it.

Yep, this is when it was called iChat. I used it for that exact purpose for some time. This was before Apple had their own protocol, though; I believe it just supported AIM and XMPP.

it's actually persisted more recently. I just checked a High Sierra machine. "Messages" has an "Add Jabber Account" menu option. An it's recent enough that it plays nice with all my existing more modern iPhone/macOS etc iCloud messages.

Re: I built an iMessage bot using Beeper

#23

Post by Kab1r »

arjvik wrote: post #17
axutio wrote: post #7

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Via MacOS VMs/containers.

Does that mean you can't use your own phone number if you're an Android user?

Yes. I am a beeper user and there is currently no mechanism to register phone numbers unless you own an iPhone.

Re: I built an iMessage bot using Beeper

#24

Post by Scalene2 »

wantlotsofcurry wrote: post #10

More of a Beeper question. I couldn't find the information on Beepers website or FAQ page. - For iMessage, does using Beeper allow you to use your own phone number to send/receive messages or do you have to use your Apple ID email to send/receive iMessages?

Apple ID.

Re: I built an iMessage bot using Beeper

#25

Post by coddingtonbear »

wantlotsofcurry wrote: post #10

More of a Beeper question. I couldn't find the information on Beepers website or FAQ page. - For iMessage, does using Beeper allow you to use your own phone number to send/receive messages or do you have to use your Apple ID email to send/receive iMessages?

Although I see somebody else suggesting otherwise, I promise you that you can send/receive iMessages (and SMS messages) via your phone number if you have an iPhone. You do have to select your phone number as your "Default Alias" from the iMessage chat network configuration page, though.

Re: I built an iMessage bot using Beeper

#26

Post by jeroenhd »

joefigura wrote: post #15
jeroenhd wrote: post #11

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Beeper is a bunch of Matrix bridges run as a commercial service. You can join the wait list or set up your own Matrix+bridges if you want (though that's more fiddling around). As Beeper is based on Matrix, you can use the standard Matrix API, use libraries like Maubot, and plenty of others in other programming languages. HTTP calls are one way to send/receive messages but there's more flexibility to be gained if you…

Not sure about other chat apps, but to connect to imessage they were originally using jailbroken iphones and now use MacOS virtual machines, according to another commentator. So there is a bit of additional work that would be necessary to fully replicate it.

Looks like you're right: https://docs.mau.fi/bridges/go/imessage/index.html

Disappointing, but iMessage has always been Apple's special little protocol nobody else can use.

Still, there are Docker images out there (that break the TOS) for running macOS inside QEMU, I'm sure someone can script one of those to set up a bridge more easily?

Re: I built an iMessage bot using Beeper

#27

Post by pkulak »

coddingtonbear wrote: post #25
wantlotsofcurry wrote: post #10

More of a Beeper question. I couldn't find the information on Beepers website or FAQ page. - For iMessage, does using Beeper allow you to use your own phone number to send/receive messages or do you have to use your Apple ID email to send/receive iMessages?

Although I see somebody else suggesting otherwise, I promise you that you can send/receive iMessages (and SMS messages) via your phone number if you have an iPhone. You do have to select your phone number as your "Default Alias" from the iMessage chat network configuration page, though.

I don't think it's that simple, and it's kinda up to Apple. If you have an iPhone, then yes. But if you have an Android phone, from what I can tell, there's nothing you can do to stop Apple from eventually disregarding the phone number attached to your account and sending everything from your email address. Part of the reason I use an iPhone at the moment is because my entire network uses iMessage and I run an iMessage -> Matrix bridge.

Re: I built an iMessage bot using Beeper

#28

Post by ofchnofc »

navanchauhan wrote: post #18
Makhram wrote: post #12

Unfortunately, I had to quit using Beeper a few days ago. Ever since they migrated to their new hungryserv, iMessage reliability has gotten steadily worse and worse. It culminated in an entire day of sending iMessages where Beeper gave them all a delivered checkmark... But none of them actually reached their recipients. Was fun explaining to people who were angry I hadn't messaged them back in over a day... I'm back…

I love using Beeper, but I disabled iMessages. It is a bit unreliable when it comes to iMessages I use it for everything else though (Instagram, Slack, Discord, WhatsApp, Facebook, Signal)

[dead]

Re: I built an iMessage bot using Beeper

#29

Post by smt88 »

andwaal wrote: post #19

I have been using Beeper for 6 months or so now. In the start it had some bugs, but now they are more and more rare (I don't use iMessages). Overall an amazing product, with what seems like a very active and product team behind which constants pushes out new updates. Highly recommended 10/10!

I'd switch in a second, but you can't use iMessage without giving Beeper your iCloud password. That's a dealbreaker for me.

I wonder if they'll offer a self-hosted option at some point.

Re: I built an iMessage bot using Beeper

#30

Post by dingusdew »

smt88 wrote: post #29
andwaal wrote: post #19

I have been using Beeper for 6 months or so now. In the start it had some bugs, but now they are more and more rare (I don't use iMessages). Overall an amazing product, with what seems like a very active and product team behind which constants pushes out new updates. Highly recommended 10/10!

I'd switch in a second, but you can't use iMessage without giving Beeper your iCloud password. That's a dealbreaker for me. I wonder if they'll offer a self-hosted option at some point.

When they originally had you do setup for Beeper, they would record the process, and not inform you that they were going to do that until the meeting was already open.

Beeper is made by the same guy who made Pebble watch and then sold the whole kit-n-caboodle (minus developer jobs) to Fitbit when business tanked.

I have have sent several emails asking Eric Migicovsky what guarantees he has that the privacy policy will continue to stay the same if Beeper becomes unprofitable and is sold to another company. He doesn't think an answer to this question is deserved, as he has not responded to any emails. In the meantime, he has continued to send me advertising emails reminding me I'm no longer on a waiting list, but apparently doesn't think questions from customers are worth answering.

What's the point in trusting your data to a company whose privacy policy can change if they sell it to the highest bidder and one of the co-founders has a history of just that? Especially one that has no intention of telling you that they're going to record the entire process of on-boarding you until you're entering the meeting.

I'm gonna stick with Pidgin and Matrix, especially since you can spin up your own Matrix server with the same bridges that Beeper uses, and then the only person you need to give your iCloud password is you, and not some stranger who refuses to answer valid privacy policy questions.

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