Is Beeper safe and how to join the waitlist
Is Beeper safe? This is a question many might be asking as they come across the latest development in the messaging app world. Over the years, numerous applications have aimed to become a central hub for all your messaging needs, and Beeper can be a good alternative among them.
Beeper gathers all your conversations across various platforms such as WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger, Instagram, Slack, Google Chat, Twitter (or X), and even iMessage.
The underlying concept is to save you the hassle of switching between different chat apps, as Beeper takes care of everything. It manages all the different standards and protocols in the background for the user.
Joining the Beeper waitlist
Currently, Beeper is only available through a waiting list. You can join the waitlist by clicking on this link, and you’ll be on your way to experiencing Beeper for yourself!
Is Beeper safe?
Is Beeper safe? According to the FAQ on Beeper.com, the answer seems to be affirmative:
“All communications sent to other Beeper or Matrix users are encrypted with end-to-end encryption by default, ensuring that the messages remain unreadable to anyone but the intended recipient. The end-to-end encryption feature of Beeper has been developed utilizing components from the Matrix protocol core team. For those interested in understanding the technical details of Matrix encryption, there is a video and accompanying slides available that delve into the subject further.”
How to link your accounts using Beeper?
Upon accessing Beeper’s virtual interface, you will be prompted to establish a new account and link all your chat applications to it. Basically, Beeper functions as a third-party client for many leading messaging services, consolidating everything in one place. As of the time this was written, it supports 15 different platforms, encompassing all the primary ones.
To synchronize with iMessage, Beeper requires your Apple ID information to log in through its bank of Mac minis, used as servers to relay messages to and from your inbox. While this might lead to a few warning messages about unauthorized access, it appears to work for now.
The sustainability of Beeper’s connectivity to iMessage or any other supported chat apps in the long run is yet to be determined, but it is operational at present. Some connections like Slack and Discord are listed under ‘Labs,’ meaning you may not have access to full functionality as you would with dedicated apps.
Image courtesy of Beeper
Beeper also offers the ability to connect to other chat clients via an open-source protocol, and everything is end-to-end encrypted. If you connect services to Beeper that are also end-to-end encrypted, re-encryption occurs. Importantly, Beeper maintains zero-access encrypted backups of your conversations, but none at Beeper can access them. Losing recovery codes could mean losing access to chat backups permanently.
Managed by Beeper’s servers, your communications can be accessed through Beeper apps installed on various devices like Windows, macOS, ChromeOS, Linux, Android, and iOS. The service is free, with a Beeper Plus subscription ranging from $5-10 set to be introduced later this year.
The ease with which you can connect to your third-party chat apps depends on the app, and whether or not you’ve set up security precautions such as two-factor authentication, but you should be up and running in just a few minutes. Chat apps can be added or removed at any point after the setup process too.
How to use Beeper?
Beeper’s desktop layout is uncomplicated, displaying the various connected chat apps as icons on the left side, and these can be rearranged by dragging. Clicking on an icon shows conversations from that particular app, while clicking on the Beeper app reveals all chats in chronological order.
This design allows chats from Instagram, Facebook Messenger, and Google Chat to appear side by side, with the newest messages at the top. However, Beeper doesn’t synchronize contacts across different apps, so you won’t see an extensive list of conversations with a specific contact from various messaging platforms.
Additionally, Beeper strives to segregate low-priority messages like spam from your main inbox, and you can manually mark conversations as low-priority to suppress notifications. Significant chats can be pinned to the top of the conversation list by right-clicking, and you also have the option to mark them as low priority or archive them.
Image courtesy of Beeper
Although many standard messenger features are supported, such as sending and receiving messages, group chats, images, videos, and emoji reactions, more complex functions like video calls and group polls are unavailable. For these, you may have to revert to the original app.
The Beeper settings are accessible by clicking on the cog icon above the conversation list, and here you can add or remove chat networks, adjust how messages are composed and viewed, synchronize your Apple or Google contacts, and more. An auto-archive option is available to clear older messages from the inbox.
Initially launched as a desktop app, Beeper still primarily functions in that format, but Android and iOS versions are also accessible. These mobile apps operate similarly to the desktop version, listing conversations chronologically and displaying connected app icons along the bottom. If you’re new to Beeper, there is a comprehensive getting started guide available after you navigate through the waiting list.
Read also: Microsoft Authenticator will soon provide codes via WhatsApp
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