TL; DR
- Beeper on Android refreshes the unified chat app from the ground up, focusing on speed. It also aligns the app closer to the Android aesthetic.
- Beeper combines chat apps like WhatsApp, Telegram, Facebook Messenger, SMS, RCS, Instagram DMs and more into one app.
- Beeper on Android is closed behind a waiting list, so you’ll have to wait or get a referral invite from an existing user.
Many people know of Beeper from its encounter with Nothing, which attempted to bring iMessage functionality to Nothing smartphones via the Beeper Mini app. That love story didn’t last long because Apple dealt harshly with the integration of iMessage within Beeper, dooming the venture to failure. But Beeper’s apps aren’t just about iMessage, as they aim to be a universal inbox for all your most popular chat apps. The Beeper app has received a major overhaul with a major overhaul, making it easier to bring all your chat apps under one roof.
As Beeper announces in its blog, the new Beeper app for Android has been completely redesigned. There’s still a waiting list, so you’ll have to wait until you’re accepted or get an invite from someone who’s already on Beeper. The team also notes that the app will be transitioning to a paid subscription model in the “very near future,” so keep that in mind before committing.
The highlight of this new Beeper app on Android is that it’s fast because it caches all conversations locally, allowing instant conversations and full message searches. You can choose between two display densities and themes, use Android bubbles and a home screen widget, and even support a dual-pane view for foldable devices.
As a summary of what Beeper does, it brings the following into one app:
- Android SMS and RCS
- what’s up
- Telegram
- Signal
- Facebook Messenger
- Instagram DM
- Twitter DM
- Slack
- Strife
- Google Chat
- IRC
- Matrix chat
Beeper notes that the first sync can take up to eight minutes for large accounts, which isn’t bad when you think about it. There are some other known issues, such as tapping on a message in the search results does not open the chat. However, the list for the first public release appears to be small.
Beeper also addresses the elephant in the room. The iMessage bridge on the device is present in the list of upcoming features, but it is not enabled now. If you rely on iMessage, you must continue to use Beeper Mini alongside it.
The service is also working on other features, such as chat deletion, network disconnection alerts, scheduled sending, mentions, end-to-end encrypted on-device bridges to WhatsApp and Google Messages, and more.
Have you tried the new app refresh? Let us know in the comments below!