A developer behind the pioneering Pebble smartwatch has plans to bring Apple’s iMessage app to Android users via a rather convoluted workaround.
The Beeper app will enable Android, Windows and even Linux users to jump on iMessage and up to 14 external messaging applications. Essentially, it promises all of your messages from WhatsApp, Slack, Twitter, Facebook, Skype, Instagram, Telegram and more.
However, the real significance here is the ability to sync iMessages with Android. In a post on its website, Beeper explains how it uses a jailbroken iPhone(!) to act as a go-between.
“Beeper has two ways of enabling Android, Windows and Linux users to use iMessage: we send each user a Jailbroken iPhone with the Beeper app installed which bridges to iMessage, or if they have a Mac that is always connected to the internet, they can install the Beeper Mac app which acts as a bridge. This is not a joke, it really works!” The company says (via Gizmodo).
So, you’ll actually need an iPhone to receive iMessage content on your Android phone. If that seems like it kind of defies the point of having Android in the first place, you wouldn’t be far wrong. Eric Migicovsky, the former Pebble founder, is currently shipping out old iPhone 4 handsets to interested parties.
— Eric Migicovsky (@ericmigi) January 20, 2021
If you’re an iPhone user, texting with your Android counterparts can be frustrating, especially in a group message setting. Loads of your favourite iMessage features don’t work. For example, there’s no delivered/read reports, the message reactions annoyingly arrive as texts and for some reason there’s some reason video quality is compressed within an inch of its life. And eugh! Those green bubbles among the blue ones. So untidy. We’re not sure whether this workaround undoes any of these inconveniences though.
And, considering the skepticism surrounding WhatsApps forthcoming privacy policy changes, it’s kind of a shame there’s no option for Android users to just hop onto iMessage and we can all just get along without having the spectre of Facebook looming. Apple of course, has no plans to launch iMessage for Android as it considers the ecosystem a major advantage for iPhone, iPad and Mac users and one of the reasons users stick with the company’s hardware.
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Editorial independence
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
