This afternoon, Beeper Mini is back, thanks to a new app update which indeed does restore service. The update, which currently requires sideloading as it’s still being reviewed by the Play Store, removes phone number support and leaves users to continue with iMessage via their Apple ID. That takes away several of Beeper Mini’s biggest selling points – no Apple ID sign-in and using the phone number on your Android phone – but it’s impressive to see it working at all, nonetheless.

Speaking to 9to5Google, Beeper’s Eric Migicovsky confirmed that, yes, this is still using the reverse-engineered method to connect to iMessage. It’s not using Mac server farms.

Phone number registration is not working yet. All users must now sign in with an AppleID. Messages will be sent and received via your email address rather than phone number. We’re currently working on a fix for this.

Beeper has also, given the chaos, made Beeper Mini free to use. The app will no longer require a $2/month subscription, though users are allowed to leave that on as a donation. The app won’t be free forever, but that leads to the next question.

How long will it last this time?