Apple bans third-party apps that enabled Android phones to use iMessage to contact iPhones
Apple Inc. on Saturday said it shut down third-party applications that enabled Android devices to use the iMessage service to communicate with iPhone users.
The iPhone maker said in a statement it “took steps to protect our users by blocking techniques that exploit fake credentials in order to gain access to iMessage.” It added that “these techniques posed significant risks to user security and privacy, including the potential for metadata exposure and enabling unwanted messages, spam, and phishing attacks.”
The company said it would continue to make changes in the future to protect its users. The announcement comes a day after Beeper Mini, the latest app to enable iMessage on Android devices, stopped working. Apple's iMessage offers encrypted messaging between iPhones, Macs, iPads and other devices made by the company, and it has resisted calls for nearly a decade to expand the service to Android.
Some users have long argued that the lack of an iMessage app for Android makes messaging between the two platforms less secure. Apple recently said it would support RCS, or rich communication services, later next year. That's a replacement for the standard SMS service that will enable an improved texting experience between platforms.
Beeper was founded by Eric Migicovsky, who is known for creating the Pebble smartwatch in the years before the Apple Watch and for being part of Y Combinator, the tech industry's most prestigious business incubator.
In an interview, Migicovsky said his new company continues to work on Beeper Mini and is “feeling good” about again bypassing Apple's restrictions. He said that Beeper Cloud — a variant of Beeper Mini — is still working. Beeper Mini, he says, is more secure and connects directly to Apple
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