I've been waiting for the dust to settle, but i imagine i'll do the same. Are you able to automate that registration process? Does it require anything manual?

I'm also curious to find out how it works for multiple users on a single computer.

edit: I also wonder what the cheapest mini i can get is. Probably some used market? Hmm

I don’t know if there are any minis up on the site, but Apple has a refurb store that is usually pretty solid on price (or was last time I looked). Pawn shops aren’t a bad idea either - typically heavily marked down electronics, and if you find little ones tucked in next to bodegas you can find some unexpectedly good electronics.

I believe Beeper cloud running on the Mac handles the renewals automatically, but I haven't seen it yet (nor would I?).

This is interesting…

Would it be possible for you to ssh into that Mac mini and generate imessages from the command line ?

You wouldn’t need beeper for that, would you?

Genuinely curious…

Yes it is possible https://github.com/CamHenlin/imessageclient

Or if you don't mind disabling SIP https://docs.mau.fi/bridges/go/imessage/mac-nosip/setup.html

Slightly OT but I’d recommend just not doing any personal texting on a work device, whether encrypted or not

With employers, you just never know - take the extra step and use your phone

Phone Link on Windows works with iMessage. No need to use a 3rd party.

Windows 11 only, and no chat history. Also, Beeper integrates full functionality like reactions and typing indicators. It also does neat things like auto-copy approval codes. They really have put together some nice software.

Imagine unironically describing your family as an "Apple household".

That's what Apple sells, association with a brand.

I only mean to say we have a boatload of Apple products. All started with parents having iPhones. Eventually Apple Watches and AirPods because they work well with iPhones. Got smaller kids Apple Watches so we could track/contact them Eventually gave them our old iPhones, allowing us to control them with Screentime. Several Apple TVs and HomePods so we can all elegantly control them with our iPhones, and of course an Apple One subscription for shared iCloud storage, Apple Music and Arcade. Family controls smarthome through HomeKit.

Believe it or not, I’m not an Apple fanboy. It’s just that once you have an iPhone, the system really works well together. If I had an Android, I could not approve app requests or downtime extensions from the kids. I couldn’t instantly control the Apple TV. I’d have to use hacky workarounds for the HomePods. And, yes, absent Beeper the family would have to start using a different messaging app, which neither my wife nor girls would want to do.

I wouldn’t say we’re brand loyal. If other products worked as well, we’d buy them. I’ve tried several Samsung phones over the years, but I always come back given the friction above. Apple makes nice products that work well together. We’re an Apple household.