Beeper

we are proud to share that Beeper is out of beta!

Feb 2022, https://web.archive.org/web/20230401112602mp_/https://blog.beeper.com/p/beeper-update-4-out-of-beta

Beeper is (finally) out of beta

today, https://blog.beeper.com/2024/04/09/beeper-is-now-available/

https://twitter.com/ericmigi/status/1763694753848479844

Built for speed and performance, with a complete redesign of the look and feel. You'll be able to try it for yourself soon…

A small sample of the many new features:

• OLED black theme
• Local message cache (all chats open instantly)
• Add/modify chat networks (no need to set up on desktop)
• Chat bubbling
• Tablet (multi-pane) mode
• Full message search (across all your chat networks)

He added, on Matrix, “Plan is to offer local bridges for all encrypted networks”

Although confirming this would be the case at launch, it was unclear specifically which networks are counted as encrypted.

CEO Eric Migicovsky reports that there are more than 100,000 Beeper Cloud users

Josh is an employee of Beeper; screenshot is from Beeper’s official chat room on matrix.

The Digital Markets Act comes into effect Wednesday, March 7, 2024

multiple reports on Discord, Matrix, and Telegram, seem to suggest that, without any notice, Apple is lifting the hardware bans which had been applied to Apple users who had used their Macs and Apple IDs with Beeper

Bloomberg reports that the three additional potential gatekeepers, namely: iMessage, Bing, Edge, have all been excluded

The above graphic thereby shows all those that will be targeted on March 7

via The Verge

Beeper is said to be focusing on adding other chat networks to their “Mini” app, and preparing for a relaunch.

Bloomberg says no, according to “people familiar with the matter who spoke on condition of anonymity.”

The decision is to be officially released by the EU in February 2024

Beeper previously asked their first officially appointed Reddit mod to join the telegram group, where he spammed NSFW content

Announcement: https://www.reddit.com/r/beeper/s/LBncfZnIsb

Beeper’s official discord invite, provided by Daniel “captain booty clap” Ramirez: https://discord.gg/zf6hf6UY4G

update: Beeper is also permanently banning from their subreddit anyone who mentions “Telegram” or “Lemmy”

update 2: Eric Migicovsky added a comment that the discord was made at his request; therefore it is official

Apple claims it “does not monetise iMessage via the sale of hardware devices”

it further claims it runs 5 completely separate App Stores

investigators have examined how the Apple Watch works better with the iPhone than with other brands, as well as how Apple locks competitors out of its iMessage service

By default, iCloud backups are (1) enabled and (2) unencrypted

You would have to get not only yourself and every person you’re chatting with to manually enable encryption for their iCloud backups on their iPhones, but also every device they have that is using iMessage

Update: it may be limited to those using a hackintosh in conjunction with beeperserv (the jailbreak tweak). Still kind of lousy of them to lock the reddit topic though…

Several users recently reported that after using pypush—the tool that Beeper paid $25,000 for in order to build Beeper Mini—Apple banned their genuine Apple hardware devices from accessing iMessage.

When their comments were shared to the r/Beeper subreddit, one of the mods whom Beeper appointed decided to lock the comments, citing the “need to investigate this further” and directing concerned users to “reach out to support through the appropriate channels.”

for all the latest beeper and matrix news, join BeeperApp on Telegram

for all the latest beeper news don’t forget to join us on telegram

In the new year, we’re shifting focus back to our long-term goal of building the best chat app on earth

edit 2: changed url to official one, now that the article is live

The jailbroken iPhone should have iOS 10 or greater on it.

This new solution allows Beeper Mini to work again, with the caveat that you need an old iPhone that sits at home.

With Beeper Mini working on your Android phone (including number registration), you also have the option of adding that phone number to Beeper Cloud.

(letter was OCR’d from this scanned letter)

We write regarding Apple's potential anticompetitive treatment of the Beeper Mini messaging application. We have long-championed increased competition, innovation, and consumer choice in the digital marketplace. To protect free and open markets, it is critical for the Antitrust Division to be vigilant in enforcing our antitrust laws. That is why together we have led efforts in Congress to ensure the agency has the authorities, tools, and resources necessary to police abuses of market power.

Earlier this month, Beeper introduced Beeper Mini, an interoperable messaging service that allows users of the Android mobile operating system to communicate with users of Apple's iMessage service. Previously, Android users were unable to securely communicate with iMessage users and were relegated to using decades-old, unencrypted SMS technology. Within days of its launch, Beeper Mini users began to experience service disruptions. Apple admitted it took action to disable Beeper Mini, citing security and privacy concerns for iMessage users. Apple executives have previously admitted the company leverages iMessage to lock users into Apple's ecosystem of devices and services. Beeper Mini threatened to reduce this leverage creating more competitive mobile applications market, which in turn a more competitive mobile device market.

Earlier this year the Department of Commerce released a report titled Competition in the Mobile Application Ecosystem, describing Apple as a "gatekeeper" with a "monopoly position" in its mobile app ecosystem. The Department of Commerce observed that "antitrust enforcement is essential for ensuring competition in the mobile app ecosystem." These findings are consistent with those of numerous other antitrust enforcers and international competition authorities. In December 2015, Beeper's Chief Executive Officer, Eric Migicovsky, testified before the Senate Judiciary Committee's Subcommittee on Competition Policy, Antitrust, and Consumer Rights. He expressed concern that dominant messaging services would use their position to impose barriers to interoperability and prevent Beeper entering and delivering services that consumers want. Given Apple's recent actions, that concern appears prescient.

As you know, interoperability and interconnection have long been key drivers of competition and consumer choice in communications services, from telephones to email. Startups and small businesses drive innovation, create jobs, and can disrupt entrenched incumbents when allowed to compete. But consumers will never benefit from competition if dominant firms are allowed to snuff out that competition at its incipiency.

We are therefore concerned that Apple's recent actions to disable Beeper Mini harm competition, eliminate choices for consumers, and will discourage future innovation and investment in interoperable messaging services. We also fear these types of tactics may more broadly chill future investment and innovation from those that seek to compete with existing digital gatekeepers. Thus, we refer this matter to the Antitrust Division to investigate whether this potentially anticompetitive conduct by Apple violated the antitrust laws.

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