Apple cuts off Beeper Mini's access • Hacker News Board

Re: Apple cuts off Beeper Mini's access

#161

Post by chmod775 » Fri, Dec 08, 2023, 11:31 PM UTC

NBJack wrote: post #79

madeofpalk wrote: post #62

Earlier quoted context omitted.

'Nobody' in the EU uses iMessage, even on iPhones. Everyone here already uses Whatsapp. This demonstrates a lack of a monopoly and how competition can flourish. Honestly - and EU-regulation that Apple faces over iMessage would just be collateral damage from EU targeting Whatsapp.

I mean, if everyone is using Whatsapp, that is effectively a monopoly. I am curious as to what the runner ups are in the EU however. Meanwhile, wait until Mr. Zuckerberg looks for new ideas to monetize their messaging ecosystem.

There's no monopoly. Messengers hardly have any lock-in and there's plenty of competition available. Entire continents will switch messengers essentially overnight once the current market leader becomes too enshittified and there's something better. Remember how AOL, ICQ, MSN, Skype, etc. died?

WhatsApp is the current leader because it's no-nonsense and works everywhere. The moment Facebook fucks that up even a little bit, people will have moved on to the next thing.

Re: Apple cuts off Beeper Mini's access

#162

Post by robertoandred » Fri, Dec 08, 2023, 11:31 PM UTC

freedomben wrote: post #122

StressedDev wrote: post #95

Earlier quoted context omitted.

[flagged]

Beeper doesn't give you iMessage. It just makes you appear as a "blue bubble" to people who are on iMessage.

A blue bubble = iMessage. If it's green, you're not on iMessage.

Re: Apple cuts off Beeper Mini's access

#163

Post by mig39 » Fri, Dec 08, 2023, 11:32 PM UTC

ggm wrote: post #107

madeofpalk wrote: post #62

Earlier quoted context omitted.

'Nobody' in the EU uses iMessage, even on iPhones. Everyone here already uses Whatsapp. This demonstrates a lack of a monopoly and how competition can flourish. Honestly - and EU-regulation that Apple faces over iMessage would just be collateral damage from EU targeting Whatsapp.

These assertions need those quotes around 'nobody' because I work with a bunch of apple device owners across Europe and they certainly do use Apple messages. At scale yes, signal, telegram and whatsapp are perhaps more significant than the apple ecology and the ratio of android to apple outside the USA and canada probably shows why.

I know some that use it in Portugal, but most of my relatives use Facebook Messenger first, then WhatsApp, then SMS or iMessage.

Re: Apple cuts off Beeper Mini's access

#164

Post by dev_tty01 » Fri, Dec 08, 2023, 11:32 PM UTC

ElijahLynn wrote: post #45

> Reached for comment, Beeper CEO Eric Migicovsky did not deny that Apple has successfully blocked Beeper Mini. “If it’s Apple, then I think the biggest question is... if Apple truly cares about the privacy and security of their own iPhone users, why would they stop a service that enables their own users to now send encrypted messages to Android users, rather than using unsecure SMS? With their announcement of RCS su…

I agree. There are already third party E2E messaging apps that work across platforms. Anyone who decided to build a business on unauthorized use of another company's servers was just setting themselves up for disappointment. I have a hard time understanding how anyone thought Apple would not cut this off.

Re: Apple cuts off Beeper Mini's access

#165

Post by skeaker » Fri, Dec 08, 2023, 11:32 PM UTC

amelius wrote: post #25

It's for your own good. Those Android users cannot be trusted.

To downvoters, the above appears to be sarcasm. Apple would love you to believe this even though it's just blatantly silly, which is why it's funny.

Re: Apple cuts off Beeper Mini's access

#166

Post by graphe » Fri, Dec 08, 2023, 11:32 PM UTC

ElijahLynn wrote: post #56

ElijahLynn wrote: post #45

> Reached for comment, Beeper CEO Eric Migicovsky did not deny that Apple has successfully blocked Beeper Mini. “If it’s Apple, then I think the biggest question is... if Apple truly cares about the privacy and security of their own iPhone users, why would they stop a service that enables their own users to now send encrypted messages to Android users, rather than using unsecure SMS? With their announcement of RCS su…

The good thing though is that Apple finally announced RCS support > https://9to5mac.com/2023/11/16/apple-rcs-coming-to-iphone/

Good? RCS isn't universal. Am I gonna be sending and receiving Google, Verizon, TMobile, or Samsung messages? It's not universally encrypted either. No way am I turning it on.

Re: Apple cuts off Beeper Mini's access

#167

Post by CharlesW » Fri, Dec 08, 2023, 11:32 PM UTC

Grustaf wrote: post #81

> "if Apple truly cares about the privacy and security of their own iPhone users, why would they stop a service that enables their own users to now send encrypted messages to Android users, rather than using unsecure SMS?" - Eric Migicovsky 1. If Apple sees this as a gap, it is very obvious that they would address that themselves, rather than by allowing a hack to exploit loopholes in their architecture 2. Since Appl…

Keep in mind that this is spin — Erik's statement is ridiculous, and he knows it. To think that Apple would somehow not treat Beeper like any other bad actor hacking iMessage protocols is delulu.

Re: Apple cuts off Beeper Mini's access

#168

Post by vosper » Fri, Dec 08, 2023, 11:32 PM UTC

maxlin wrote: post #153

Grustaf wrote: post #81

> "if Apple truly cares about the privacy and security of their own iPhone users, why would they stop a service that enables their own users to now send encrypted messages to Android users, rather than using unsecure SMS?" - Eric Migicovsky 1. If Apple sees this as a gap, it is very obvious that they would address that themselves, rather than by allowing a hack to exploit loopholes in their architecture 2. Since Appl…

Since apple has no control over your fire extinguisher, they sent a man to securely take it from your house and dispose of it. It could have been a bomb for all you know.

Except that the iMessage system belongs to Apple, not to you

> The app doesn’t connect to any servers at Beeper itself, only to Apple servers, the way a “real” iMessage text would.

https://techcrunch.com/2023/12/05/beeper-reversed-engineered...

Re: Apple cuts off Beeper Mini's access

#169

Post by MBCook » Fri, Dec 08, 2023, 11:32 PM UTC

freedomben wrote: post #122

StressedDev wrote: post #95

Earlier quoted context omitted.

[flagged]

Beeper doesn't give you iMessage. It just makes you appear as a "blue bubble" to people who are on iMessage.

That’s what blue bubble means. You’re talking through the iMessage service.

Re: Apple cuts off Beeper Mini's access

#170

Post by LordDragonfang » Fri, Dec 08, 2023, 11:33 PM UTC

StressedDev wrote: post #143

One thing which is really confusing is why are Android users obsessed with iMessage? Android users can send text messages to iPhones, the can call iPhone users, and they can use third party messaging apps to communicate with iPhone users. It really isn’t clear to me why so many people are so angry they cannot use iMessage on Android.

Because I want the pictures and videos my iPhone-using parents send me to not be crunched to shit, and I'm not going through the effort of teaching non-technical users to use a different messaging client. Same with the group chats that my partner's extended family keep including me in.