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Apple is restoring Mac users that were banned after using Beeper on iPhone

Apple has started lifting iMessage bans on Mac users who previously lost access after granting access to Beeper, but it remains unclear why the bans were imposed in the first place.

In mid-January, Apple began banning a handful of Mac owners from the iMessage platform after granting Beeper access to Apple's messaging platform. As of January 21, Beeper said that there were around 30 users who had reported being banned.

No warning was given to users before the ban, and it was thought that the move could have been retaliation against using the controversial messaging app. According to Beeper, Apple alleged that "spam" was the reason for the hardware ban.

However, now user reports are rolling in that these Macs are starting to regain access to iMessage. Beeper suggests that the move was done as a way for Apple to mitigate bad press after the New York Times began investigating the story.

For users still facing bans on their Macs, Beeper recommends reaching out to Apple Support for assistance. Users are also encouraged to report their cases within the Beeper app.

Beeper notes that it has since disabled users' ability to initiate new iMessage connections from Beeper Cloud.

In December, Beeper crafted a method of using a real Mac to connect to iMessage and use that registration with Beeper Cloud and Beeper mini. This workaround allowed Android users to post to the iMessage network.

The workaround used authentic registration data from the user's own hardware or a Mac they had access to provide access. Nonetheless, this resulted in banning about 30 users out of 3500 who had set up an iMessage connection.



6 Comments

InspiredCode 8 Years · 405 comments

Apple generally treats API abuse as a temporary ban, so seems like they are just following their normal playbook.

danox 11 Years · 3445 comments

Stealing? Might be why they were banned...

chasm 10 Years · 3624 comments

If you are joining into an effort to hack Apple’s systems, you might very well suffer some form of consequences.

I can’t believe 3,500 Mac owners were this stupid and desperate for blue bubbles on their Android devices as to think Beeper’s hacking was going to work with no repercussions. They weren’t quite as dumb as the Beeper crew, to be fair, but still …

jayweiss 13 Years · 76 comments

I’m going to keep asking why the Beeper folks haven’t been arrested for hacking the iMessage system. I guess hacking s company’s systems is OK as long as it is Apple. 

Why isn’t the DOJ going after Beeper? Maybe it is to show that Apple is big, bad company for denying Android users blue bubble status. 

mikethemartian 18 Years · 1493 comments

jayweiss said:
I’m going to keep asking why the Beeper folks haven’t been arrested for hacking the iMessage system. I guess hacking s company’s systems is OK as long as it is Apple. 

Why isn’t the DOJ going after Beeper? Maybe it is to show that Apple is big, bad company for denying Android users blue bubble status. 

Apple was cofounded by two guys that sold devices to hack the AT&T phone system and they never went to jail.