The parent company of WordPress, Automattic, has decided to buy Beeper. This chat application allows users to cross-platform chat and breaks down the limits between the blue bubble and the green bubble. This acquisition, consisting of Beeper’s complete workforce of 27 employees, is one of Automattic’s steps in the direction of cross-platform messaging platforms.
Automattic Expands Messaging Portfolio with Beeper Acquisition
Beeper caused a buzz in December 2023 when the company released Beeper Mini. This creative app is intended to provide a link between Android and iOS users by simulating the iMessage experience in Android devices. However, the technique met resistance from Apple, which had blocked Beeper Mini due to Apple’s intrusion into its server. While trying to have offers for it, Beeper Mini’s discontinuation resulted in Beeper’s CEO, Eric Migicovsky, being at the centre of dialogue with the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and the Department of Justice in the US.
At this time, the purchase will not do much to bring Beeper Mini back but, it will highlight a more definitive shift to Beeper, a chat application that can be used on Android, iOS, and desktop platforms. Beeper shines through its integration with the different chat networks, providing users with a unified inbox for handling multiple messaging platforms all in one. However, having an iMessage integration is not something Beeper does at this moment.
According to Eric Migicovsky, now Automattic’s Head of Messaging, conversations with DOJ occur often, especially now around Beeper Mini. Being under Automattic’s umbrella means that Beeper becomes independent to work on its own, signifying its formal launch from beta testing.
Automattic’s acquisition of Beeper reflects a broader trend in the tech industry: the appearance of a global chat application that brings together fragmented messaging platforms as a single umbrella. Whilst the future of Beeper staying in this division is unknown, its merging with Automattic may pave the way for a new messaging ecosystem instead.
