This messaging app could soon bring FaceTime calls to your Android phone

Date:
Thu, 07 Dec 2023 11:47:57 +0000

Description:
Beeper Mini has already brought improved iMessage support to Android, now the devs want to add Facetime too.

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Beeper Mini the latest Android app promising to bring iMessage support to non-Apple phones might be fairly new on the scene, but its already set its sights on bringing another iPhone exclusive to the masses, with the team revealing that its currently trying to add Facetime audio and video calls to its third-party app.

The announcement was made via a post on the Beeper Blog , in which the developers highlighted a handful of other features they're currently working on. This includes block lists, full text search, a UI for the best foldable phones, and the ability to schedule messages. As time goes on there are plans for Beeper Mini to support SMS, WhatsApp, Signal, Matrix, and a slew of other chat networks.

This one-stop shop messaging app would then be renamed to Beeper reclaiming the title the companys first iteration of its app used before it replaced the service with Beeper Cloud and Beeper Mini.

Whats the catch I hear you ask? Well, Beeper Mini isnt free to use. Its currently $1.99 (around $1.6 / AU$3) per month, and while some users love it others point out on the Android store page reviews that it needs a few extra quality-of-life upgrades to make it feel worthwhile. Is Beeper Mini safe and secure?

Another fear you likely have is how private secure is all of this. It was
less than a month ago that we saw the rise and fiery explosive failure of Nothing Chats due to its near-total lack of privacy . To use the service you had to hand over your iCloud login details, and because the service isnt end-to-end encrypted Sunbird had access to every single text, image, and
video sent using the service. (Image credit: Beeper)

Beeper Mini, to its credit, appears to have already crossed this hurdle.
Chats are end-to-end encrypted so only you and the person/people youre messaging can see whats being sent. Whats more according to a Beeper FAQ Beeper does not have access to your Apple account.

The data the app collects is: Your name and phone number Your IP address Your user-agent (phone model, Android version) Your Google and Apple account email addresses Anonymous push notification token Diagnostic information (Optional)

Thats it per the FAQ. The reason it doesnt need to collect as much of your data as previous attempts to bring iMessage to Android is because your information isnt passed through a relay server. Instead, the app connects directly to Apples servers.

Given that Beeper Mini supports end-to-end encryption with iMessage it seems to actually be more secure than regular text chats between iPhone and Android phone users.

Well have to wait and see how Beeper Mini develops, but currently, it does look to offer a more immediate, somewhat comprehensive solution to green bubbles and secure messaging between iMessage and Android phones. Youll just have to decide if the cost of entry is worth it compared to the other best encrypted messaging apps some of which are completely free. You might also like These are the 10 best Android apps of the year according to Google Got an Android phone? Microsoft might let you use it as a webcam Got an old Android phone? Google Calendar could soon stop working on it



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Link to news story: https://www.techradar.com/phones/android/beeper-minis-next-big-feature-is-addi ng-facetime-to-your-android-phone


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