Last Updated: December 11, 2023, 08:00 IST
Apple has decided to shut down the link that allowed iMessage to work on Android
iMessage works on iPhones and that’s how Apple wants the messaging service to run for years to come.
Apple has decided to disable the iMessage app that is compatible with Android phones. iMessage is popular among iPhone users for its blue bubbles but the company has kept its exclusive to its ecosystem citing privacy of users. The app called Beeper Mini was launched earlier this month, promising to be the best iMessage version for Android users.
The company claimed it was able to intercept the original iMessage service from Apple to push messages on Android, coaxing Apple into thinking the message is coming from an iOS device. Many people suspected that Apple will eventually act on this service and it has taken less than 24 hours for Beeper Mini to find their service shutdown on Android. Apple has reportedly blocked the link which allowed Beeper Mini to divert the messages signal to Android for iMessages.
The company was quoted in a report by The Verge, explaining its reasons for this decision. “We took steps to protect our users by blocking techniques that exploit fake credentials in order to gain access to iMessage. These techniques posed significant risks to user security and privacy, including the potential for metadata exposure and enabling unwanted messages, spam, and phishing attacks. We will continue to make updates in the future to protect our users.”
The statement from Apple clearly points to a concern for the company about how a loophole has been used by the third-party service to integrate iMessage with Android. It also mentions that if any other service decides to work in this intrusive way then it will block their access to its products as well.
Beeper Mini got everyone excited about using iMessage on Android, and more importantly, allowing them to do that in a secure, encrypted way.
However, these new developments suggest Apple is not going to sit back and let companies misuse its servers to give products cross-platform integration. The makers of Beeper Mini have set up a subscription service, which means the iMessage for Android is not free and Apple blocking its network seems justified.
