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C. Scott Brown / Android Authority
TL;DR
- Beeper, known for its iMessage-to-Android efforts, announced its acquisition by Automattic, the developer of WordPress.
- With this acquisition, Beeper’s Android app is now out of beta and available to everyone without a waiting list.
Beeper gained notoriety for its bold and failed attempt to bring iMessage to Android. However, this app is much more than that. It’s a handy aggregator designed to bring all your chat apps into a single, streamlined inbox.
The iMessage setback seemed to be the end of the road for Beeper, but the company seems to have turned a corner with its acquisition by Automattic, the parent company of the popular WordPress platform.
According to the official press release, Beeper’s team will continue to function as an independent division of Automattic, with founder Eric Migicovsky taking on the role of Automattic’s Head of Messaging. An important aspect of this development is the possible integration of Beeper with Texts.com, a similar chat aggregator that Automattic acquired last year. Notably, Texts.com currently offers iMessage bridging for Android, but requires users to run the app on their Apple computers.
Migikowski added that he has known Automattic CEO Matt Mullenweg “for years.” He also emphasized the companies’ common goals and approaches, focusing on being “as open source as possible” and the independence he has in operating Beeper within Automattic, adding: “We want to build the best chat app on the planet.” He emphasized the desire of both companies to build
Beeper’s acquisition announcement coincided with the general launch of the Android app, demonstrating broader accessibility. The app has been in beta until now, with 115,000 users participating in testing. After the acquisition, the app was made available to everyone, including his 466,000 people who were already on the waiting list.
The timing of this acquisition is interesting, especially since it comes just after Apple quickly scrapped Beeper’s short-lived iMessage integration. Additionally, Apple’s planned RCS support could further reduce Beeper’s recent appeal, as RCS brings many of the same features as iMessage to cross-platform conversations between iPhone and Android users. there is.
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