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It was never going to last. Ever since it was launched this week, the Beeper Mini app, which let Android users get iMessage text support, was expected to be in trouble as soon as it caught Apple's attention. And catch Apple's attention it has. Yesterday, the entire Beeper platform appeared to be on the fritz, resulting in speculation that the iPhone maker had been shutting down the iMessage workarounds. As of this morning, Beeper Mini was still posting on X (formerly Twitter) that it was working on and potentially fixing the outage, but with an announcement from Apple today, all that may be for naught.
"We took steps to protect our users by blocking techniques that exploit fake credentials in order to gain access to iMessage," Apple said. "These techniques posed significant risks to user security and privacy, including the potential for metadata exposure and enabling unwanted messages, spam, and phishing attacks. We will continue to make updates in the future to protect our users."
Though Apple does not mention any apps by name, it stands to reason that, given the timing of Beeper Mini's launch and recent troubles, that this refers to the loophole the platform was using.
Beeper's method sent users' texts to Apple's servers before moving on to their intended recipients, and was thought up by a high-school student. Would-be messengers wouldn't even need an Apple ID to access iMessage via Beeper Mini, though the Android app did offer end-to-end encryption for conversations between those on both operating systems.
Apple also said today that
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Charge your portable power station with the sun when you pair it with portable solar panels. These models came out on top of CNET's testing and reviews.
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 We're just about two weeks away from the Christmas holiday, and numerous Apple products are still available for all-time low prices this weekend, with guaranteed delivery before the 25th in many cases. This week, the best deals were focused on M3 MacBook Pros, Apple Watches, the 10th gen iPad, and a few Anker accessory sales.
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While Apple's Time Machine provides users with an effective, set-it-and-forget-it recovery system, Microsoft users aren't so lucky. Instead, users are stuck deciding the best way to keep their data safe with a patchwork system of restore points, recovery discs, and file backups. Thankfully, a number of great third-party backup options have cropped up in recent years to help solve the woes of Windows users.
Below you'll find a list of our favorite Windows backup clients. These come with easy-to-use and attractive designs as well as a full range of file and image backup capabilities. We've even included a couple free options that are more than worthwhile. Below our picks you can find more info about what to look for in a Windows backup program.
Also, check out PCWorld's roundup of best external drives for recommendations on reliable storage options—an important component in a comprehensive backup strategy. Alternatively, if you'd prefer to keep your data on the cloud or need the flexibility of data storage for different operating systems, then check out our list of best online backup services.
Updated 12/07/2023: Check out our latest review of
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Content creation experts Streamlabs has partnered with beleaguered social media platform X to offer a "seamless go-live experience". This is part of X's long-promised integration of game streaming to the site. To that end, it'll allow X users to initiate streams without having to manually input stream keys and it'll let those same users sign into the Streamlabs desktop app or the mobile app using social media credentials.
The system also integrates with X's new live broadcast chat functionality, so you can monitor chat messages in the Streamlabs desktop add as you stream. The desktop app also lets you adjust monetization options on the fly, including custom alerts for tipping and overlays for branded content. Additionally, content creators have access to the Streamlabs merch store so they can hawk branded products while they stream. Creators using X will also have access to the company's line of widgets for increased engagement.
For regular users, this partnership will allow people to chat with their favorite streamers in real-time straight from X, though this feature looks to be paywalled behind one of those Blue subscriptions, or Premium or whatever it's called these days. The one that gets you the universally-beloved blue check mark.
Of course, there's the massive antisemitic elephant in the room. This is a strange time to announce a partnership with X, given Musk's recent behavior and the
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 Unidentified governments are surveilling smartphone users by tracking push notifications that move through Google's and Apple's servers, a US senator warned on Wednesday (via Reuters).
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 Starting with iOS 17.2 and watchOS 10.2, Siri can access data from the Health app for health and fitness queries, according to Apple's release notes for the updates, which are currently in beta. For the Apple Watch, this functionality is limited to the Series 9 and Ultra 2, as these are the only models that support on-device Siri processing.
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