C. Scott Brown / Android Authority
TL;DR
- Beeper, known for its iMessage-to-Android efforts, announced its acquisition by Automattic, the company behind WordPress.
- With the acquisition, Beeper’s Android app is out of beta and available to anyone without a waitlist.
Beeper earned notoriety for its audacious but unsuccessful attempt to bring iMessage to Android. However, this app is more than just that; it’s a convenient aggregator designed to be a single, streamlined inbox for all of your chatting apps.
While the iMessage setback seemed like the end of the road for Beeper, the company has seemingly turned over a new leaf 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 unit under Automattic’s umbrella, with founder Eric Migicovsky assuming the role of Automattic’s Head of Messaging. A key aspect of this development is the potential integration of Beeper with Texts.com, a similar chat aggregator service that Automattic acquired last year. Notably, Texts.com currently offers iMessage bridging for Android, albeit with the requirement that users run an app on their own Apple computers.
Migicovsky further added that he’s known Automattic CEO Matt Mullenweg “for years.” He also underscores the shared goals and approach between the two, highlighting their desire to “build the best chat app on earth” with an emphasis on “open source where possible” and Beeper’s operating independence within Automattic.
Beeper’s acquisition announcement also came with the public launch of its Android app, signaling wider accessibility. The app has been in beta till now, with 115,000 users participating in testing. After the acquisition, the app is now open to use for everyone, including the 466,000 people who were already on the waitlist.
The timing of this acquisition is intriguing, especially since it comes right after Apple swiftly squashed Beeper’s short-lived iMessage integration. Furthermore, Apple’s planned RCS support could further lower Beeper’s recent appeal, as RCS brings many of the same features as iMessage to cross-platform conversations between iPhone and Android users.
