Next Beeper Mini Fix Requires Users to Have a Mac

The developers behind Beeper Mini are continuing with their effort to make iMessage for Android function despite Apple's mitigations, and the latest "fix" requires Beeper Mini users to have access to a Mac.

Beeper Mini Feature
On Reddit, the Beeper Mini team says that the Mac-based fix coming on December 20 stabilizes iMessage for Beeper Cloud and Mini, and it "works well" and "is very reliable."

It is unclear how many Android users have a Mac or have a friend with a Mac to rely on, but the fix requires using a Mac to connect to iMessage on Beeper. According to Beeper Mini's developers, registration data from an actual Mac has to be sent to Apple to use iMessage on Beeper. Beeper has been using its own Mac servers to provide that information to Apple, but that resulted in thousands of Beeper users having the same registration info, which was an "easy target for Apple."

The Beeper update will instead generate unique registration data for each Mac, making it harder for Apple to tell which users are accessing iMessage through an Android device. The Beeper Mini team says that registration data is "only used to indicate that a Mac is available during registration" and that the Mac will not be given access to an account or messages.

If you do not have access to a Mac computer, but have a friend on Beeper with a Mac, you can ask them if you can use their registration data. In our testing, 10-20 iMessage users can safely use the same registration data.

With the fix, Beeper Cloud and Beeper Mini users will once again be able to use iMessage on Android, but only with email addresses and not with phone numbers.

The Beeper Mini team appears to be losing some support with Android users, who do not want to jump through multiple hoops to access iMessage on Android. Multiple people on Reddit have said that they will instead wait for Apple's implementation of RCS for more seamless texting between iPhones and Android devices.

Since launch, the Beeper Mini experience has changed. Initially, Android users were able to register their phone numbers with Beeper Mini, but Apple quickly put a stop to that, and many Beeper Mini users ended up missing text messages. Now Beeper Mini only works with an Apple ID email address, and there have been multiple service interruptions over the past few days. With the requirement to have a Mac added in the mix, it is not surprising that Android users are finding the app to be more hassle than help.

Beeper Mini launched using a reverse engineered version of iMessage, and the app was registering the phone numbers of Android users with fake iMessage credentials using Apple's own servers. Apple made it clear that it views Beeper Mini as a security risk, and that it has no intention of allowing the app to use iMessage in any capacity.

In a statement, Apple said that Beeper Mini "posed significant risks to user security and privacy, including the potential for metadata exposure and enabling unwanted messages, spam, and phishing attacks."

Beeper CEO Eric Migicovsky said over the weekend that he is aiming to provide a secure service for Android users, and he spoke out against Apple's iMessage monopoly. SMS conversations between iMessage and Android users are not encrypted like iPhone-to-iPhone communications, so Beeper Mini has been able to argue a security angle.

Given the publicity surrounding Beeper Mini, U.S. lawmakers have stepped in to express concern over the situation, but with Apple planning to adopt RCS next year to bring many iMessage features to conversations with Android users, there may not be much of a case for Beeper Mini to use a backdoor to offer iMessage to Android customers.

Encryption for ‌iPhone‌ to Android chats will be missing until Apple is able to work with the GSM Association that developed the ‌‌RCS‌‌ protocol to add end-to-end encryption, but Apple will likely make that a priority to stop inquiries into iMessage.

With any investigation into iMessage, Apple will also be able to point out that there are many highly popular cross-platform apps to choose from that offer end-to-end encryption, including Signal, Telegram, and WhatsApp.

Popular Stories

Generic iOS 19 Feature Mock Light

iOS 19 Will Bring Biggest Design Overhaul Since iOS 7

Monday March 10, 2025 12:17 pm PDT by
Apple is planning for a major design overhaul of the iPhone, iPad, and Mac interfaces with the introduction of iOS 19, iPadOS 19, and macOS 16 later this year, reports Bloomberg. The update will "fundamentally change" the look of Apple's operating system, introducing a more consistent cross-platform experience. Apple plans to update the style of icons, menus, apps, windows, and system...
ios 18 4 carplay

Apple Upgrades CarPlay in Two Ways

Wednesday March 12, 2025 6:05 am PDT by
The upcoming iOS 18.4 update for the iPhone includes a smaller but meaningful improvement for Apple's in-car iPhone mirroring system CarPlay. Specifically, CarPlay now shows a third row of icons, up from two rows previously. However, this change is only visible in vehicles with a larger center display. For example, a MacRumors Forums member noticed the change in a Toyota Tundra with a...
Apple One Apps Feature 2

Apple One's Best Plan Now Includes Two More Perks For Free

Monday March 10, 2025 6:40 am PDT by
Apple One allows you to subscribe to up to six Apple services for one discounted monthly price. There are three Apple One tiers: Individual, Family, and Premier. Over the last month, the highest-end ‌Apple One‌ Premier plan has gained two additional perks. Here is what Apple One Premier already included, for $37.95 per month:Apple Music Apple TV+ Apple Arcade Apple News+ Apple Fitness+...
airpods pro 2 gradient

AirPods Pro 3 Launch Now Just Months Away: Here's What We Know

Tuesday March 11, 2025 3:26 am PDT by
Despite being released over two years ago, Apple's AirPods Pro 2 continue to dominate the wireless earbud market. However, with the AirPods Pro 3 expected to launch in 2025, anyone thinking of buying Apple's premium earbuds may be wondering if the next generation is worth holding out for. Apart from their audio and noise-canceling performance, which are generally regarded as excellent for...
iOS 18

12 New Things Your iPhone Can Do in iOS 18.4

Monday March 10, 2025 9:28 am PDT by
Apple is set to release iOS 18.4 in early April, bringing further refinements to Apple Intelligence features, a neat new capability to iPhone 15 Pro devices, new emoji, and more. While not quite as packed with new features as Apple's preceding iOS 18 point releases, iOS 18.4 still introduces enhancements that aim to make your iPhone smarter and more intuitive. Below, we've listed 12 new...
iphone 17 mockups idevicehelp

Video Shows iPhone 17 Mockups Based on 'Internal Documents'

Monday March 10, 2025 4:41 am PDT by
YouTuber iDeviceHelp on Friday posted a video that shows off mockups of Apple's forthcoming iPhone 17 models that are purportedly based on "internal documents." We're sharing the video here since it was made in collaboration with leaker Majin Bu, who last month published similar iPhone 17 renders that were widely corroborated by separate leakers with links to Apple's Chinese supply chain....
iOS 18

iOS 18.3.2 Update Coming Soon for iPhones

Monday March 10, 2025 7:25 am PDT by
Apple employees are internally testing iOS 18.3.2 for iPhones, according to our website's visitor logs, which have been a reliable indicator of upcoming iOS versions. The software update should be released in the next week or two. iOS 18.3.2 will be a minor update that addresses software bugs and/or security vulnerabilities. Don't expect any new features. iOS 18.3.2 will be an interim...
Apple Maps vs Google Maps Feature

iOS 18.4 Adds a Highly-Requested Setting to iPhones — But Not in U.S.

Wednesday March 12, 2025 1:05 pm PDT by
iPhones are finally getting a much-requested setting, but availability is limited. The upcoming iOS 18.4 update introduces an option to set a default navigation app, other than Apple Maps, but unfortunately this new setting is limited to users in the EU. There, you can now set an app like Google Maps or Waze as your default navigation app on the iPhone by opening the Settings app and tapping ...
iOS 18

Apple Releases iOS 18.3.2 With Bug Fixes

Tuesday March 11, 2025 10:33 am PDT by
Apple today released iOS 18.3.2 and iPadOS 18.3.2, minor updates for the iOS 18 and iPadOS 18 operating systems that came out last September. iOS 18.3.2 and iOS 18.3.2 come a month after Apple released iOS 18.3.1 and iPadOS 18.3.1. The new software can be downloaded on eligible iPhones and iPads over-the-air by going to Settings > General > Software Update. According to Apple's release...

Top Rated Comments

Havalo Avatar
16 months ago
Next Beeper Mini fix requires user to have an iPhone ?‍♂️
Score: 108 Votes (Like | Disagree)
grantishere Avatar
16 months ago


Attachment Image
Score: 48 Votes (Like | Disagree)
gatorvet96 Avatar
16 months ago
I have a better solution. Buy an iPhone.
Score: 43 Votes (Like | Disagree)
abatabia Avatar
16 months ago
Beeper needs to just let it go.

It’s over, Johnny. It’s over.
Score: 26 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Way2Poppy Avatar
16 months ago
This whole thing seems asinine to me. If you now have to have an AppleID and a Mac, at this point just get an iPhone if you want blue bubbles that badly. If you have a Mac but use an Android, you're already missing out on so many more integration features anyway.
Score: 23 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Sheepish-Lord Avatar
16 months ago
These guys would make more money reporting these exploits to Apple instead of giving it away.
Score: 22 Votes (Like | Disagree)