Beeper Mini users find Macs banned from iMessage network • Hacker News Board

Re: Beeper Mini users find Macs banned from iMessage network

#111

Post by crimbles » Wed, Jan 17, 2024, 4:50 PM UTC

heyoni wrote: post #110

crimbles wrote: post #109

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Is there a reference for this anywhere / secondary confirmation? Would like to understand risk exposure of relying on iMessage going forward.

This is based on personal experience and user reports where those whose beepers installed displayed errors continued to work, whereas beeper installs configured to refresh registration codes automatically were much more likely to be banned. It’s important to note that an error in the former config could be ignored for like a month without any actual service disruption; it was 100% aesthetic in some cases. A week ago…

So against the vendor's advice you sort of shot yourself. Appreciate taking one for the team but I don't see any risk to myself here as I have no intention of using Beeper.

Re: Beeper Mini users find Macs banned from iMessage network

#112

Post by nixonaddiction » Wed, Jan 17, 2024, 6:11 PM UTC

clay_the_ripper wrote: post #4

My take on this whole thing is that this is basically an elaborate plan to eventually use this in court against Apple to prove its anti-competitive practices. If not for court, then at the least this is a press strategy orchestrated by someone with an interest in opening up the iMessage monopoly. I’m sure the founder realized early on that the prospects of this becoming a valuable company on its own merits were slim…

i really doubt it was an elaborate plan. more, people were annoyed by apple's monopoly, engineered a solution, and apple proceeded to shoot themself in the foot by trying to hold on to the said monopoly. beeper mini is probably leaning into provoking apple after witnessing the reaction, which makes sense. it gives them press. we'll see how this plays out. i know the justice department is building a case, and they're probably salivating at this evidence, but the 2024 election could result in less antitrust friendly actors working against the case. possibly. i need to research the justice department more.

Re: Beeper Mini users find Macs banned from iMessage network

#113

Post by iAMkenough » Wed, Jan 17, 2024, 6:24 PM UTC

crimbles wrote: post #38

I bet if you sign out of iCloud then reinstall the Mac and sign in again it'll work again. This is probably the machine signing key being shot down for using it with an unauthorised client rather than the mac being completely banned itself.

The hackintosh community has been troubleshooting iMessage activation issues for a decade.

Activation is tied to the Mac's serial number, so you either need to work with Apple Support to get your Mac's serial number off the blocklist, or you need to change your Mac's serial number to a unique and valid one that isn't blocked.

https://www.tonymacx86.com/threads/an-idiots-guide-to-imessa...

Re: Beeper Mini users find Macs banned from iMessage network

#114

Post by bensecure » Wed, Jan 17, 2024, 6:24 PM UTC

crazygringo wrote: post #91

bensecure wrote: post #74

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> The company isn't "retaliating" against you, or even "punishing" you yes they are > You broke the rules and that's what happens. And when it happens its called a "punishment", which is a kind of "retaliation". Words don't stop applying because you don't like their connotation.

No -- words like punishment and retaliation have a connotation of being personal and being emotional, or punishment can be linked to the justice system. They're not appropriate words for mere policy. Like if you damage your apartment and don't get your security deposit back, that's not punishment or retaliation. It's just policy. Same thing if you try to return something after thirty days and that's against policy. W…

The difference is in trying to highlight the "policy" as being fundamentally just and fair, versus arbitrary and capricious. If I have a "policy" of beating up anybody who looks at me funny, that doesn't make it any less retaliatory. On the other hand, the justice system has a habit of avoiding the term "punishment" because they don't like the connotation.

Re: Beeper Mini users find Macs banned from iMessage network

#115

Post by bensecure » Wed, Jan 17, 2024, 6:27 PM UTC

redserk wrote: post #89

bensecure wrote: post #72

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Beeper would have to have agreed to the ToS for them to have broken it. It's apple's users who agreed to a ToS, and apple users who got the boot. The lesson is that apple doesn't treat their users very well, not that some no name company who's fifteen minutes of fame are done isn't responsible enough.

I'm interpreting this as incredibly pedantic. Just because Beeper is delegating the ToS violation to a bunch of random people doesn't mean they aren't complicit. It appears they are acting in even worse faith than Apple here by suggesting their new mechanism is safe and has no side effects when it actually does. If the cost for me to enjoy a relatively spam-free and stable iMessage experience is to simply not do dumb…

These people are customers of both beeper and apple. Both beeper and apple made a set of decision that led to their own customers being hurt. Somehow the resolution is that beeper is uniquely responsible for course correcting. Maybe they should have put language in their ToS to the effect that if your device id is banned, they disclaim all responsibility. Surely that would have smoothed things over?

Re: Beeper Mini users find Macs banned from iMessage network

#116

Post by heyoni » Thu, Jan 18, 2024, 1:24 AM UTC

crimbles wrote: post #111

heyoni wrote: post #110

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This is based on personal experience and user reports where those whose beepers installed displayed errors continued to work, whereas beeper installs configured to refresh registration codes automatically were much more likely to be banned. It’s important to note that an error in the former config could be ignored for like a month without any actual service disruption; it was 100% aesthetic in some cases. A week ago…

So against the vendor's advice you sort of shot yourself. Appreciate taking one for the team but I don't see any risk to myself here as I have no intention of using Beeper.

Yep. I know I did something that could jeopardize the service but I will never chastise myself for it...and as someone who spends a sizeable sum yearly on Apple product, I'm going to make it my choice to boycott them unless they do a 180.

I won't abide a company punishing its users for wanting the convenience of picking up their text message convos from Linux because it's otherwise too distracting to pick up a phone each time.

Really happy to take one for the team. I mean that. This was going to happen at some point in the future whether or not I liked it, glad it happened now. I can't live in a world this connected where my linux box and 12 years of texting history is totally cut off from it. No thanks.