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Multi - platform messaging startupBeeper , plant by YC and Pebble ammonia alum Eric Migicovsky , delivered an iMessage experience for Androidthat does n’t use any intermediaries and , as such , should be ( always a big caveat here since we ’re relying on the caller ’s word of honor ) individual and good . It has the voltage to light up just how much lock - in value iMessage has for Apple and the iPhone , since it permit users to make the electrical switch to Android without miss the dismal bubble that we North Americans seems to be intimate so well .
I will say that for me at least , it ’s made a decision I’vebeen wrestle with for the past few weeksincredibly easy : Specifically , I ’m swap from the iPhone 15 Pro to the OnePlus Open as my main day-after-day use smartphone . The OnePlus Open had already win me over for its foldable charm , along with what I can only describe as singular character and personality I ’ve come to apprize from the pic taken by its Hasselblad - powered photographic camera arrangement . Android in general is also increasing in appeal in part because , unlike Apple , Google seems unforced to actually engage with and integrate AI feature where they ’re useful .
Because I am a basic ass North American , the one matter contain me back from switching over has been iMessage . Not that I , in person , feel any adhesion to the platform versus any alternatives , include Signal and WhatsApp . But the multitude who count to me in my lifetime do , and unripened bubble vibraphone would candidly not be welcome in a crowd of my exist group confab , or for sharing proper full - res media with the people I actually require to stay connected to the most .
It ’s not worth consider why Americans and Canadians specifically seem to have been contented to allow for this to fall out rather than break camp to another cross - platform messaging religious service with all or more of the same feature and none of the weapons platform whorl - in — the fact is , it materialise , and it ’s not pass forth anytime before long .
You play the script you ’re deal , and so far Apple has been dealt a gain ground hired hand pretty much every time when it comes to its message political platform and interoperability . There are regulative challenges underway that could see that change , but what Beeper has done manages to sidestep the stickiest legal peak ( though it relies on an already - ensconced protection of contrary - engineering for the interest of interoperability as its main argument of why Apple wo n’t just belt down it ) to rescue functional service today .
So far , it ’s working well enough that I feel confident I wo n’t miss out on the few persist connection I have that experience exclusively in iMessage , and that ’s enough to allow to me finally exchange over the earpiece I actually most enjoy using today : The OnePlus Open , which of line still has its own defect , but which does an excellent job of illustrating incisively where Apple is resting on the bulwark of lock - in retention feature like iMessage to paper over a languor of founding and unwillingness to try out .
The most likely consequence here is obviously that Apple discover some way to kill this , either legally or technically , but Beeper ’s in a good position given how close it ’s being watched by regulators for behavior precisely like that aright now . Here ’s hoping they ’re grant to cover so we can see just how much iMessage is a digit on the scale of the North American smartphone grocery .
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Beeper reverse - mastermind iMessage to lend blue house of cards texts to Android user
