Apple Pulls Plug On 'iMessage For Android' App Beeper Mini: It's Back To Green Bubbles Now For Android Users

Apple Inc. AAPL has moved quickly to shut down the ‘iMessage for Android' app Beeper Mini. The messaging startup posted an update on X that it is experiencing an outage.

What Happened: After multiple users across Reddit and X reported that their messages are not going through, Beeper cofounder Eric Migicovsky confirmed that all the data points to Apple shutting it down, reported TechCrunch.

"Investigating reports that sending/receiving is not working in Beeper Mini," the startup posted on X.

Investigating reports that sending/receiving is not working in Beeper Mini 🔎

— Beeper (@onbeeper) December 8, 2023

As a result, Android users will have to go back to using regular text messages to chat with iPhone users. This means their messages will once again start showing up in green bubbles.

See Also: 9 In 10 Teens Own And Will Buy An iPhone Next, Even As Android Boss Hiroshi Lockheimer Laments Losing 10% Users To iPhone Every Year

While Apple was expected to shut down Beeper Mini, the quick action could come as a surprise to some. However, Migicovsky is not giving up just yet, suggesting that we could be in for a cat and mouse game.

Buckle up, this is going to be a wild ride https://t.co/SAPyKLCamm

— Eric Migicovsky (@ericmigi) December 9, 2023

Beeper Mini promises to be the one messaging app to rule them all – the startup posted a roadmap that includes integrating iMessage, FaceTime, RCS, WhatsApp, Signal and other messaging services, all in a single app.

If this sounds familiar, that is because the European Union's Digital Markets Act has envisioned a future where all major messaging services are interoperable with each other.

Why It Matters: While Apple has already relented by announcing that RCS support is coming to iPhones in 2024, it still does not solve the green versus blue bubble problem that has a tight grip on iPhone users in the US.

Another ‘iMessage for Android' app Sunbird had to be shut down in November due to privacy concerns. While Beeper Mini does not seem to suffer from these issues yet, Apple seems to be eagle-eyed on it, so it could be shut down forever eventually.

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Read Next: EU’s Dream Of Messaging App Unity On Horizon? Beeper Mini To Bridge Gap With FaceTime, RCS, WhatsApp Integration