Last month, when Apple blocked the Beeper Mini app from giving Android users access to the tech giant's messaging service, Beeper encouraged customers to use their Mac computers to connect and continue sending messages.
But in recent days, dozens of Beeper customers have reported that they can no longer access Apple's messaging service on their Android phones or Mac computers. Several people have called Apple Customer Support and been told that the company has revoked iMessage access on their Mac due to irregular activity. No one was warned that service would be interrupted.
For Beeper customers who prefer Android devices to iPhones but Mac computers to PCs, Apple's move shows just how far the company will go to maintain control over its service. In this case, Apple discontinued one of the services that came with its computers because it objected to the way its customers used their computers.
“Legally it's probably clear because of the terms of service, but it's still pretty crappy,” said Matvei Vevitsis, who found out this month that he couldn't send iMessages to his mother via his 12-inch MacBook.
Apple declined to comment. After the New York Times contacted Apple, some Beeper customers began reporting that the block had been lifted in recent days.
The maneuver is the latest example of a tit-for-tat between Apple and Beeper that has drawn the attention of antitrust regulators. Last year, the Justice Department met with Beeper's leadership team about Apple's actions, and the Federal Trade Commission said on its blog that it would scrutinize “dominant” players who use privacy and security as justification for not allowing interoperability between services. He said it would be.
Beeper Mini debuted on December 5 as an app that gives Android phone users the ability to send encrypted messages to their iPhone. This will allow people using Samsung and Google devices to send high-resolution video and use perks like animations that were previously only available to iPhone customers. The app added 100,000 customers in three days.
However, Apple changed the iMessage system to block the app. It said the app posed security and privacy risks.
Beeper then came up with a solution to maintain service. We asked customers to use their Mac computers to obtain a redemption code for iMessage and use it to log in to Beeper on their Android devices.
Mr. Vevitsis, 31, said he had been using a MacBook and connected Beeper to Apple's messaging service on his Samsung Galaxy phone since about 2015. A self-proclaimed tech geek, he prefers Android phones because the system is more customizable than the iPhone. But his mother has an iPhone and he wanted to be able to send her high-quality photos and videos.
Earlier this year, Beeper stopped working and Ms Vevitsis could no longer send messages to her mother. He opened her MacBook and tried to message her directly, but had the same problem, so he called her Apple support.
“Apple told me my iMessages were marked as spam,” he said. An Apple support representative offered to unblock it, but that didn't fix the problem. He eventually downloaded an app that allowed him to create a replacement serial number for his MacBook and was able to use iMessage again.
Beeper said more than two dozen of its roughly 3,500 customers reported similar outages on their Macs. Several of these customers spoke to The Times and provided details and records of their conversations with Apple Support.
Ghazi Shami, founder of Empire, an independent music company in San Francisco, said he faced a similar problem. Like Vevitsis, Shami prefers using a Galaxy over an iPhone, but many musicians use iMessage to send audio recordings. Using his iMac Pro desktop, Shami was able to connect to Beeper and send and receive recordings from his phone.
But late last year, Beeper stopped working and iMessage said Apple was shutting down the iMac, which cost $5,000 when it launched in 2017.
“I think it goes against the spirit of Silicon Valley to block someone’s serial number because they are testing beta software,” Shami said. “It feels like you are reprimanding the students.”