WordPress.com Owner Buys Beeper, App That Enabled iMessage on Android
www.bloomberg.com
Automattic Inc., the internet company behind popular online blogging service WordPress.com, acquired the messaging app at the heart of a recent dispute with Apple Inc.
  • some_guy@lemmy.sdf.org
    25·
    2 months ago

    This is a pretty stupid purchase. Beeper was based upon exploiting holes in the iMessage protocol. It was never going last. Why someone would pay for it after they closed the service is a mystery. I’m also not able to see the article due to paywall, so maybe there’s some great justification of which I’m unaware.

    • smeg@feddit.ukEnglish
      40·
      2 months ago

      That is/was only one of the services they offered, they have an all-in-one messaging app that lets you use a variety of other protocols (though I only discovered this about half an hour ago!)

      • Glasgow@lemmy.ml
        4·
        2 months ago

        It’s a matrix clone with built in bridging so you’re only using the matrix protocol technically.

            • noodlejetski@lemm.eeOP
              1·
              2 months ago

              not really, it’s the same Matrix protocol as other Matrix instances use. the only difference is that they set up bridges and manage them on behalf of the users (something that’s possible when hosting your own Matrix instance, too).

      • scopsEnglish
        2·
        2 months ago

        Yeah, I just set it up because I don’t want Meta’s shit on my phone and my friend group insists on using WhatsApp. I still had to install the native WhatsApp client but I was able to remove it as soon as I had confirmed the account creation. It also means I can stop giving out my cell number when I want to meet someone from Facebook Marketplace to buy something.

        They advise against removing the apps on your phone, but at the least, you can turn off notifications for everything other than Beeper and use it as a single interface. On the desktop app, it makes a bit more sense. I’ve stopped running the Telegram, Signal, and Google Chat apps. I just wish Google Voice played nice with integrations and could be added to the platform.

        • noodlejetski@lemm.eeOP
          15·
          2 months ago

          FYI, e2ee messages like Signal’s and Whatsapp’s are decrypted on Beeper’s server before they get reencrypted and forwarded to the recipient.

          also, Whatsapp and Signal might log you out if you don’t use their client for certain time.

      • some_guy@lemmy.sdf.org
        1·
        2 months ago

        Thanks!

        “There’s basically no open standard for chat, and our vision is to create that by connecting to legacy chat networks,” Migicovsky said in an interview.

        Why you’d pay so much for a company that doesn’t have massively proven tech is beyond me.

  • 0xCAFe@feddit.deEnglish
    11·
    2 months ago

    Well that’s some news. If they’re good news we will see. I’m a Beeper user but never heard of Texts (stupid name) before, which seem to share the same misson as Beeper. Texts was purchased by Automattic last year (according to the Beeper blog).

    What does that mean? Automattic punches with some weight in the chat space now. In general I don’t like it if big companies buy small products. However Automattic still seems to bet on the Fediverse, so maybe if the teams from Beeper and Texts can work together on a Matrix-based, open source chat application, we could get something really good.

    I’ve mixed feelings about this whole thing, some shy optimizm, some less shy pessimism.

    Well, time will tell.

    • noodlejetski@lemm.eeOP
      10·
      2 months ago

      given that they struck a deal with OpenAI and Midjourney to train them on Tumblr data, I’d be wary of using their stuff.

      • 0xCAFe@feddit.deEnglish
        6·
        2 months ago

        I know what you mean, but I think private chat and public posting are quite distinct. They’d destroy a lot more trust if they sell private messages compared to what they did with Tumblr. Especially if they continue to push local bridges, where they won’t be able to read any message (you still have to trust them obviously).

        • jarfil@beehaw.org
          2·
          2 months ago

          If they push local OpenSource bridges, or if you’re willing to self-host your own, then I’d consider using them.

          Otherwise, any private “E2E” encrypted messages, will get decrypted on their bridges, and we’ll have to play ToS whack-a-mole to find out whether they’re fair game to train LLMs or not.

  • Snot Flickerman@lemmy.blahaj.zoneEnglish
    9·
    2 months ago

    Looks like we figured out Migicovsky’s plan was always the same as it was with Pebble: wreck what was promising and then sell it off to the highest bidder.

    • n2burns@lemmy.ca
      2·
      2 months ago

      I don’t think that’s a fair assessment, and I’m someone who’s pretty invested in both projects (I’ve been using Beeper for almost a year and I’m still wearing a Pebble).

  • GenderNeutralBro@lemmy.sdf.orgEnglish
    3·
    2 months ago

    I’m not really familiar with Automattic or any of their acquisitions (I know Tumblr and Pocket Casts, but I’m not a regular user of either). https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Automattic#Products

    What’s their track record here? Should we expect anything they acquire to be gutted and squeezed like they’re Broadcom, or do they actually develop the things they acquire in a way that serves their users?