5 ms·
Seems like a chess move. Apple blocks a small percentage of users instead of all of them, which casts uncertainty on using Beeper Mini at all. It also allows th
by I_Am_Nous 3y ago
Seems like a chess move. Apple blocks a small percentage of users instead of all of them, which casts uncertainty on using Beeper Mini at all. It also allows them to A/B test various methods of blocking or honeypotting Beeper Mini logins without giving away any big secrets.
From Beeper's perspective, they now have to figure out why only those logins were blocked and if they need to patch something or not. Apple could be wasting their time and blocked random users out of spite.
Time will tell.
- MuffinFlavored 3y agoMy bigger question is how are any Beeper Mini users getting through (aka how is Beeper Mini's backend getting around the fact that... I thought you needed a valid serial # to an Apple device specific to you to log in + use iMessage)
- dylan604 3y agoat some point Serial Box will have a list of valid/invalid hardware serial numbers. or, someone will crack the code to generate valid codes. oh wait. i drifted off back to the 90s software cracking days.
- MuffinFlavored 3y agoif apple checks an online database for "you authenticated and paired this hardware ID to this apple ID", is that a "Beeper Mini" killer?
- rezonant 3y agoWhat about when the hardware is legitimately sold and reset and a new Apple ID starts using it?
- chongli 3y agoYou have to de-register the device with Apple when you sell it. Otherwise you retain the ability to remote wipe and brick the device and the buyer has no recourse. After you de-register it the buyer can register it with Apple under their Apple ID.
- dylan604 3y agoisn't that essentially what they are doing? that's one of the reasons a stolen iDevice is pretty much worthless.
- Wingy 3y agoI have Apple devices that are allowed to use iMessage including some that I don't use. If my computer can impersonate one of them to allow me to message from my workstation that's success.
- MuffinFlavored 3y ago> If my computer can impersonate one of them to allow me to message from my workstation that's success. But Beeper Mini isn't asking users to bring-their-own valid hardware registered Apple hardware ID tied to their Apple ID, they're doing something different/unknown behind the scenes
- rekoil 3y agoApple doesn't have predictable serial numbers anymore, they're all just random numbers corresponding to rows in a database. There's no way to generate them.
- dylan604 3y agoIt wasn't a serious idea. The fact I mentioned it along side Serial Box should have been a clue. Maybe you're too young to know what Serial Box was, or the 90s cracking culture. Shh, the adults are speaking =)
- rekoil 3y agoNo, I remember Serial Box, serials.ws, MegaGames, scene intros, etc. I just have trouble determining tone on the internet sometimes is all.
- deleted 3y ago[deleted]
- standardUser 3y agoUgh, it is beyond depressing to imagine Apple bigwigs sitting around discussing ways to make absolutely certain teens keep getting ostracized until they buy their overpriced product.
- averageRoyalty 3y agoGiven the majority of their users don't care about that, it seems unlikely to be an accurate portrayal of the internal discussions.
- standardUser 3y agoYou don't think Apple brass is doing everything in their power to convince non-iPhone users to switch to an iPhone? Every excluded teen is another potential customer and to pretend they don't know that is beyond naïve.
- frumper 3y agoI doubt anyone is shocked that Apple execs want to sell more Apple products. They are paid very well to do that.
- averageRoyalty 3y agoI do, but the group that consists purely of American teenagers (even if it's 100% of them), is one of many demos, and a relatively small one globally.
- rezonant 3y agoDo you have data about that or are you assuming you and your friends are representative of the majority of users? It seems like one side of the debate says "I have experienced this, and the product features seem to encourage this behavior" and the other side says "No one really does this, you just have a few insane friends who happen to use iOS". Feels like gaslighting when you've experienced this sort of behavior yourself, and not even from tweens who aren't well adjusted to the world, from your middle aged and up friends and family who are bought into that ecosystem.