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Automattic, the company behind the popular web management system WordPress, has acquired Beeper and will absorb Beeper’s 27 employees. Beeper made headlines in December with his Beeper Mini, an app that brings iMessage to Android devices.
Beeper Mini used reverse-engineered iMessage protocols and encryption and leveraged Apple’s own iMessage servers to allow Android users to send “blue bubble” texts to iPhone users without an Apple ID. The app supported all iMessage features, including read receipts, typing indicators, reactions, and end-to-end encryption.
Apple was unhappy with Beeper Mini’s use of iMessage servers and blocked the Beeper Mini app. Beeper tried a workaround, but the company abandoned the idea after suggesting Android users buy a jailbroken “iPhone” to make the service work.
After Apple blocked Beeper Mini from working, both the FTC and the US Department of Justice met with Beeper CEO Eric Migicovsky. The Beeper Mini ended up being mentioned in the Justice Department’s antitrust filing against Apple, with the Justice Department suggesting it was a “fix” for his cross-platform messaging issues from Android to iPhone. did.
Automattic has no plans to bring back Beeper Mini and will instead adopt Beeper, a universal chat app available for Android, iOS, and desktop devices. Beeper can integrate with multiple chat networks using a universal inbox, but it doesn’t currently work with iMessage.
In a post announcing the acquisition by Automattic, Beeper CEO Eric Migicovsky said that Beeper is now “on the move” because the Department of Justice “sued Apple for blocking Beeper Mini’s access to iMessage.” “I am cautiously optimistic about the future.”
Migicovsky will now serve as Head of Messaging at Automattic, and Beeper will operate as an independent team. With the acquisition, Beeper is no longer in beta and officially launched.
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