Julie Clover
Automattic, the company behind the popular WordPress web management system, has acquired Beeper and absorbed 27 Beeper employees. Back in December, Beeper made headlines with Beeper Mini, the app that brought iMessage to Android devices.
Beeper Mini reverse engineered iMessage protocols and encryption, taking advantage of Apple's own iMessage servers, to allow Android users to send “blue bubble” text messages to iPhone users without an Apple ID. The app supported all iMessage features, including read receipts, input indicators, reactions, and end-to-end encryption.
Apple didn't like Beeper Mini using its iMessage servers and blocked the Beeper Mini app. . Beeper tried workarounds, but by suggesting Android users purchase a jailbroken iPhone To make the service work, the company abandoned the idea.
After Apple blocked Beeper Mini, the Federal Trade Commission and the US Department of Justice met with Beeper CEO Eric Migicovsky. The Beeper Mini was eventually named in the DOJ's antitrust lawsuit against Apple, with the DOJ suggesting it was a “fix” for broken Android for the iPhone problem with cross-platform messaging.
Automattic has no plans to revive Beeper Mini, but instead uses Beeper, a universal chat app available for Android, iOS and desktop devices. Beeper can integrate with multiple chat networks using a universal inbox, although it does not currently work with iMessage.
In a post announcing the Automattic acquisition, Beeper CEO Eric Migicovski said Beeper is “cautiously optimistic ” about the future” as the Department of Justice “sued Apple for blocking Beeper Mini's access to iMessage.”
Going forward, Migikowski will lead Automattic's messaging division, and Beeper will operate as an independent team. Following the acquisition, Beeper is no longer in beta and has officially launched.
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