Apple already blocked Beeper, an app that (briefly) brought iMessage to Android

Apple is well aware that iMessage is a key driver for people buying iPhones and for that reason, it has so far refused to open the instant messaging platform up to allow it to be offered on Android. That's something that seems set to remain the case for the near future after Apple blocked Beeper, an app that sought to bring Apple's messaging platform to Android phone owners for $2 per month.

Beeper made a splash last week when it announced that it had found a way to hook into Apple's iMessage without any of the messy workarounds or hacks that had been used by similar services in the past. That was supposed to ensure a couple of things. First, it would allow for increased privacy, and second, it was supposed to make it harder for Apple to block Beeper.

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A few days later, Apple had already blocked it.

The news hasn't been officially confirmed by Apple and it is unlikely to want to comment on this whole situation. But users of the Beeper Mini app, the software used on Android phones as their route into the iMessage network, reported that they were no longer able to send and receive messages over the last day or so. Posts on Reddit soon started to pile up, and when you're charging people money it's important to make sure that the service works. Now, that seems unlikely to happen any time soon.

Beeper CEO Eric Migicovsky seemed to confirm that Apple has blocked Beeper without actually saying so when asked by The Verge. Now, all eyes will be on Beeper to see if it can turn this situation around but even if it does, ti seems like it will only be a matter of time before Apple blocks it all over again.