iMessage reverse-engineered by 16-year-old hacker

[Jan]

16-year-old reverse-engineers iMessage for Android app — Report

Universal chat app company Beeper has launched an Android app that can send and receive iMessage texts with full support for the iPhone app's features.

In a blog post detailing the release of "Beeper Mini" the company explained that the app did not require relaying messages through a cloud server like the original Beeper or Sunbird's app.

 

[epah]

Segregation is not always bad, Android users not being able to send Imessages to iphone users is a good thing.

 

[Jet-Fighter7700]

so much for the fake exclusivity of idiotphones.

 

[6spdmanual]

so much for the fake exclusivity of idiotphones.

idiotphone? Sounds like the kind of things only a virgin would say.

 

[AfricanTech]

That's so cool.

Can Beeper then be set as the default messaging app on the Android phone? I wonder if it has all the iMessage features as well so in theory, iMessage + Beeper could replace WhatsApp?

 

[Danie_V]

A 16-year old ;-) It works well for me and I like that this implementation involves no virtual Macbook in the middle - it connects directly from the phone to Apple, and Apple is seeing the phone as an "iPhone 7".

But no it won't run as a default messenger as it does not do carier SMS. It does iMessage right now until Beeper adds mores services to it e.g. including RCS and Google Messages.

I suspect though that once RCS goes live inside Apple's Messages app, most will just use RCS from Android phones (even if it is a green bubble).

 

[Ockie]

I suspect though that once RCS goes live inside Apple's Messages app, most will just use RCS from Android phones (even if it is a green bubble).

Agreed

 

[Bliksis]

Do people actually use iMessage? Serious question. I have quite a number of friends, and they just Whatsapp.

 

[Johnatan56]

Do people actually use iMessage? Serious question. I have quite a number of friends, and they just Whatsapp.

Mostly US-centric, South Africa's iPhone market is a lot smaller, so they need to have WhatsApp, while US you could legitimately not need it.

 

[gregmcc]

It remains to be seen if Apple will take action against the development.

This is a given. Apple lawyers will be on it already.

 

[Dolby]

Do people actually use iMessage? Serious question. I have quite a number of friends, and they just Whatsapp.

There are other issues in that your one app also contains your SMS - and with the spam etc today, it’s not nearly as easy as WhatApp to use.

I think locally, only the die hard fans will make use of it - but I really don’t know any of those in the real world. Everyone I know uses WhatApp

 

[Adenoid Hynkel]

Segregation is not always bad, Android users not being able to send Imessages to iphone users is a good thing.

Segregation? I prefer to call it diversity. We Android users enjoy the freedom to choose while iPhone sheep are in their own world of Apple bliss.

 

[Pegging]

Segregation? I prefer to call it diversity. We Android users enjoy the freedom to choose while iPhone sheep are in their own world of Apple bliss.

You can’t choose Apple. So much for freedom.

 

[charlieharper]

Every Android phone I ever owned I had to root within the first week and load a custom minimal OS because I couldn't stand the extra unwanted crap that came preloaded with it - and that meant killing the (2 year?) warranty of week old R12k phone, nice.

 

[$m@Rt@$$]

Zero chance they will allow communication from a non iDevice. This will be patched soon.

 

[ronz91]

@6:55 MyBB has finally made it XD