In a recent development, a bipartisan group of lawmakers in the United States has called upon the Department of Justice to investigate Apple's treatment of the Beeper Mini messaging application, citing potential anticompetitive behavior. The move comes after Apple's decision to cut off Beeper, an app that provided iMessage functionality to Android users, caught the attention of U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren, who criticized the tech giant for its actions.

The letter, addressed to U.S. Assistant Attorney General Kanter, was signed by Sen. Amy Klobuchar, Sen. Mike Lee, Representative Jerry Nadler, and Representative Ken Buck. In their letter, the lawmakers highlighted Apple's dominant position in the mobile app ecosystem and the concerns raised by Beeper CEO Eric Migicovsky about potential barriers to interoperability imposed by dominant messaging services.

Citing the recent actions taken by Apple, which the lawmakers deemed as anticompetitive, they expressed the need for further investigation by the Department of Justice's Antitrust Division. The Department of Commerce had previously described Apple as a "gatekeeper" with a "monopoly position" in its mobile app ecosystem, further supporting the concerns raised by the lawmakers.

This latest development adds to the ongoing battles between Beeper and Apple. Earlier this month, Beeper introduced Beeper Mini, an app that brought support for iMessage chats to Android users. The startup's previous app, an aggregator of multiple messaging services, was rebranded as Beeper Cloud to focus on the development of Beeper Mini.

Initially charging users $1.99 per month for access to Beeper Mini, Beeper later made the app free as Apple began interrupting the delivery of messages. Although Beeper managed to address those issues, Apple deliberately blocked messages for approximately 5% of Beeper's users, according to the company.

Apple justified its actions by citing significant risks to user security and privacy, including the potential exposure of metadata and the possibility of unwanted messages, spam, and phishing attacks. Beeper founder and CEO, Eric Migicovsky, challenged Apple to agree to an independent third-party security audit to prove Beeper's app maintained end-to-end encryption, but Apple has yet to respond to this request.

Beeper Mini currently allows users to authenticate with their Apple ID and will continue to be offered for free until further notice, considering the possibility of Apple's interference.

This bipartisan letter from lawmakers to the Department of Justice highlights the concern surrounding Apple's treatment of the Beeper Mini app. With potential antitrust violations at play, the investigation could have significant implications for Apple's practices in the future.