Earlier this month, WhatsApp announced some changes to its privacy policy that uploaded users struggling to move their mobile social life to a new network. Sign got a influx of richly deserved new users, and Android users regret the fact that they can’t switch to Apple’s iMessage. All of which is a long way of saying that it is a good time to get involved in the messaging solutions business –and the founder of Pebble claims to have a strange new solution.
Beeper is an upcoming application that sells itself as a hub for all your messaging services. Instead of managing half a dozen apps to keep in touch with friends, family and co-workers, Beeper lets you channel everything into an interface. According to its website, the application supports 14 external messaging platforms, as well as its own Beeper network. But the company’s claim that it brings iMessage to Android, Windows or Linux devices can be a killer feature for anyone who has suffered from green bubble embarrassment.
Apple likes to keep its own in-house products for its own hardware, so that statement is a bit surprising, but Beeper says he has found an alternative solution. On your website, that explains:
Beeper has two ways to allow Android, Windows and Linux users to use iMessage: we send each user an unlocked iPhone with the Beeper app installed that bridges iMessage, or if they have a Mac that is always connected to internet, they can install the Beeper Mac application that acts as a bridge. This is not a joke, it really works!
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Okay, the part about using a Mac always connected as a bridge is not unprecedented, but the idea of sending jailbreak updated iPhones to users is a little crazy.
Eric Migicovsky, founder of Pebble smartwatch and a partner at Beeper, took to Twitter to insist that the jailbreak plan is legitimate and that he currently has 50 iPhone 4s ready for the task.
Everyone needs a trick, and we’ll give Beeper points for originality. But it’s hard to imagine that there would be a ton of demand for this alternative jailbreak solution. Then again, it is a big world out there and there is certainly a market for these older devices if they are not too expensive. But an old jailbroken iPhone is a security risk that gets more risky over time, because you can’t apply security updates without putting the unit back in jail.
Another privacy concern is encryption. Beeper’s privacy policy it is quite simple and does not contain glaring red flags. But it also doesn’t mention encryption. Many of the services it aggregates use some level of end-to-end encryption, and Beeper needs to be able to assure users that they can expect the same level of security that they would have when using any of the standalone services. Beeper did not immediately respond to Gizmodo’s request to comment on its encryption policy, and we will update this post when we receive a response.
Here is the list of Beeper-compatible messaging services:
- Facebook Messenger
- iMessage
- Android messaging (SMS)
- Telegram
- Day off
- Hangouts
- Skype
- IRC
- Matrix
- Discord
- Signal
- Beeper Network
I would convey some practical impressions, but the app hasn’t been released yet, and for now, all you can do is sign up to be notified when it is released.
Beeper raises a number of questions, the most important of which may be whether or not people are willing to pay a $ 10 per month subscription fee. Everyone is paying attention to monthly subscriptions right now, and it’s not clear whether being up to your neck in messaging apps is a pain in the ass.