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Apple partly halts Beeper's iMessage app again, suggesting a long fight ahead

arstechnica.com

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Re: Apple partly halts Beeper's iMessage app again, suggesting a long fight ahead

#191

Post by CivBase »

stouset wrote: post #137
josephcsible wrote: post #126

When Ma Bell didn't let people use third-party phones with their service, the government made them change their ways. Why is the government letting Apple get away with the equivalent?

Ma Bell had a monopoly. This is one messaging app on one brand of phone. Nothing stops you from using another phone, or multiple or other messaging apps. And messaging apps aren’t restricted by a “default” in quite the same way a web browser is. I have friends on WhatsApp and Signal and Instagram and I message them all without any appreciable difference in effort.

Right. This is much more similar to MS and Internet Explorer back in 98.

Interestingly enough, one of the outcomes of that case was IE for the Mac.

Re: Apple partly halts Beeper's iMessage app again, suggesting a long fight ahead

#192

Post by sroussey »

api wrote: post #144

A lot of people don’t understand the absolutely insane (and totally stupid) power of “blue text” in social settings, especially among teens. “Green text” is social suicide, largely because a lot of reactions and emojis and stuff don’t work. It’s also a status symbol… even though high end Android phones cost about what higher end iPhones cost and refurb iPhones are cheap. The iMessage platform is probably the stronges…

So the biggest impediment to competition is the status of a blue text box in one messaging app?

If so, create your “status symbol” message app and you can go buy apple or google after, lol

Re: Apple partly halts Beeper's iMessage app again, suggesting a long fight ahead

#193

Post by nicce »

hn_throwaway_99 wrote: post #159
madeofpalk wrote: post #151

Earlier quoted context omitted.

That's nonsensical. Reddit has a monopoly on Reddit - of course it does. Any service online is under no obligation to allow for widespread interpoperation - that would be madness.

> Any service online is under no obligation to allow for widespread interpoperation - that would be madness. Lol, "madness". The Digital Services Act in the EU would like a word.

You are confusing with Digital Markets Act.

https://digital-markets-act.ec.europa.eu/about-dma_en

Re: Apple partly halts Beeper's iMessage app again, suggesting a long fight ahead

#194

Post by sbrother »

dann0 wrote: post #71

[flagged]

> iMessage is not the leading messaging app in any market.

Really? I haven't seen anything approaching it in the US, except maybe Facebook Messenger? But iMessage is definitely ubiquitous enough across the US (I've lived on both coasts and in between) that it's surprising (and annoying) when someone doesn't have it.

Re: Apple partly halts Beeper's iMessage app again, suggesting a long fight ahead

#195

Post by MuffinFlavored »

NettleBurr wrote: post #28

>Apple on Wednesday appeared to have blocked what Beeper described as "~5% of Beeper Mini users" from accessing iMessages >Apple previously issued a (somewhat uncommon) statement about Beeper's iMessage access, stating that it "took steps to protect our users by blocking techniques that exploit fake credentials in order to gain access to iMessage." Citing privacy, security, and spam concerns, Apple stated it would "c…

> Migicovsky previously denied to Ars that Beeper used "fake credentials"

As far as I know (I could be wrong), in order to log in + auth to Apple's various protocols that are involved to make iMessage work, you need a valid Apple ID and some sort of valid hardware ID.

If you don't have either of those, how would you be talking to Apple's services?

If their POST /login requires email + password + valid registered serial # of device sold that isn't flagged stolen and not shared across 100 accounts... how does Beeper Mini expect to work?

Re: Apple partly halts Beeper's iMessage app again, suggesting a long fight ahead

#196

Post by burkaman »

thot_experiment wrote: post #15

Is it common for people to use texts in 2023 in your social circle? I think I've been texted once this year. I mean obviously people care about this to some extent otherwise this app wouldn't exist but in my experience when I meet someone they'll give me insta or discord, unless they're a tryhard and then it's always signal (blegh). EDIT: not sure i'm being downvoted? i'm genuinely curious because i never use SMS or…

Every American I know primarily uses texts and every non-American primarily uses Whatsapp. People also use Instagram and Discord but for other purposes, not when they just want to send one or two people a simple message.

Re: Apple partly halts Beeper's iMessage app again, suggesting a long fight ahead

#197

Post by recursive »

doublerabbit wrote: post #115
dishsoap wrote: post #88

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What are they stealing?

Profits. By allowing Android Apple communication, Apple has potential "loses" as they loose their lock in ability of forcing people buying a new iPhone for Christmas. iPhone $800, Android $200. If an Android can do what iPhone can do on the messaging front there's no purpose in buying an iPhone.

Is the grocery store stealing profits from the other grocery store next door? This is a ridiculous concept. Maybe that was your point?

Re: Apple partly halts Beeper's iMessage app again, suggesting a long fight ahead

#198

Post by thot_experiment »

madeofpalk wrote: post #175
thot_experiment wrote: post #30

Earlier quoted context omitted.

text message means SMS in my dialect, sorry

iMessage is not SMS.

ok sorry mr pedant, text message to me means the default tied to your number way of communicating on your phone

Re: Apple partly halts Beeper's iMessage app again, suggesting a long fight ahead

#199

Post by MuffinFlavored »

I_Am_Nous wrote: post #67
NettleBurr wrote: post #28

>Apple on Wednesday appeared to have blocked what Beeper described as "~5% of Beeper Mini users" from accessing iMessages >Apple previously issued a (somewhat uncommon) statement about Beeper's iMessage access, stating that it "took steps to protect our users by blocking techniques that exploit fake credentials in order to gain access to iMessage." Citing privacy, security, and spam concerns, Apple stated it would "c…

Seems like a chess move. Apple blocks a small percentage of users instead of all of them, which casts uncertainty on using Beeper Mini at all. It also allows them to A/B test various methods of blocking or honeypotting Beeper Mini logins without giving away any big secrets. From Beeper's perspective, they now have to figure out why only those logins were blocked and if they need to patch something or not. Apple could…

My bigger question is how are any Beeper Mini users getting through (aka how is Beeper Mini's backend getting around the fact that... I thought you needed a valid serial # to an Apple device specific to you to log in + use iMessage)

Re: Apple partly halts Beeper's iMessage app again, suggesting a long fight ahead

#200

Post by GeekyBear »

hn_throwaway_99 wrote: post #159
madeofpalk wrote: post #151

Earlier quoted context omitted.

That's nonsensical. Reddit has a monopoly on Reddit - of course it does. Any service online is under no obligation to allow for widespread interpoperation - that would be madness.

> Any service online is under no obligation to allow for widespread interpoperation - that would be madness. Lol, "madness". The Digital Services Act in the EU would like a word.

Although the final determination is not yet locked in, the word is that Bing and iMessage have been found to not be popular enough in the EU to fall under the DMA.

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2023-12-06/apple-ime...

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