In a twist to the ongoing Apple-Beeper saga, Apple customers who used Beeper's apps are now reporting that they have been banned from using iMessage on their Macs. This move by Apple appears to be an attempt to disable Beeper's apps from functioning properly, but it is ultimately penalizing its own customers for exploring alternative solutions to access iMessage.

The conflict between Apple and Beeper, a messaging app aggregator developed by Eric Migicovsky, has been marked by a contentious game of cat-and-mouse. Beeper initially allowed users to check messages from various services, including WhatsApp, LinkedIn, Instagram, Signal, Telegram, SMS, and iMessage, all in one place. However, when Beeper released a new app for Android users called Beeper Mini, which provided iMessage access to Android users, Apple swiftly found a way to disable it from reliably delivering messages. Despite Beeper's efforts to fix the issue, Apple continued to target Beeper's users, blocking their messages.

Apple's actions did not go unnoticed by lawmakers, prompting a bipartisan group of legislators to urge the U.S. Department of Justice to investigate Apple's potential anticompetitive treatment of the Beeper Mini application.

Now, users of Beeper's applications are expressing their frustration on public forums such as Reddit and Discord, explaining that their Mac computers can no longer send or receive iMessage texts since using Beeper's desktop application, Beeper Cloud. Tech support representatives from Apple are reportedly telling affected users that their computers have been flagged for spam or sending too many messages, even though many argue that this is not the case. Many Beeper users have come to believe that Apple is using this as a means to flag and remove them from the iMessage network.

One Beeper customer advised others dealing with this issue to inquire with Apple about their Mac's status or whether their Apple ID has been blocked for spam, as this could potentially resolve the problem. Some users noted that admitting upfront that third-party software was involved sometimes led to the support representative lifting the ban.

The news of the Mac bans was first reported by Apple news site AppleInsider and Times of India, sparking discussions on the Hacker News forum site. Opinions on the matter vary, with some believing that Apple's retaliation against its own users is justified for violating Apple's terms, while others argue that iMessage interoperability should be regulated rather than relying on unauthorized apps. A smaller group contends that Apple's actions are anticompetitive.

Apple had previously claimed that Beeper's techniques posed significant risks to user security and privacy, including exposure to metadata and enabling unwanted messages, spam, and phishing attacks.

Both Apple and Beeper have been asked for additional comments. In response to the issue, Eric Migicovsky speculated that it could be a bug within iMessage causing the problems.

Beeper recently decided to halt its efforts to develop an iMessage solution following the release of its latest software. Migicovsky expressed that while they believed they had created a solution acceptable to Apple, they would no longer respond if Apple continued to disrupt their latest build and would instead focus on building the best chat app.