Nowadays, most of us use a smartphone to communicate. One of the ways we do this is via communication apps such as WhatsApp, WeChat, Messenger, Skype, among others. Most of the time, these apps are free of charge and come with features that make communicating easier. However, we are at a point where there are way too many apps offering users different kinds of communication styles and experiences. This had led to a conundrum where users have become overwhelmed by messages leading to some messages being missed or overlook. Seeing that reality, Eric Migicovsky, the founder of the now Fitbit-owned Pebble, has unveiled a new, universal communication app, Beeper, which unify up to 15 chat networks.
Beeper brings all the widely used chat applications under one roof. This allows users to not only be on multiple platforms at the same time, but also have one screen to rule them all. It offers users the option to reply messages in a fast and convenient way while being platform agnostic. The new app supports 15 chat networks including Apple’s iMessage. Beeper is available on Android, iOS, Windows, macOS, and Linux.
Users can enjoy all the features offered by their multiple apps such as unified search, snooze, and archiving messages on Beeper. However, supporting Apple’s iMessage is a little trickier. To allow Android, Windows, and Linux users to use Apple’s service on Beeper, the Migicovsky and his team had to find a workaround. This involves using Apple’s own devices for some digital trickery. The company is using an always on Apple device as a bridge to enable iMessage on Beeper. If you don’t have an Apple device to use as this bridge, the company will send the user a jailbroken iPhone with the Beeper app installed; otherwise, it’s as simple as downloading the app on your Mac or iPhone to enable the service.
The platform is built on an open-source platform called Matrix. The platform is run as a non-profit by the Matrix.org Foundation like Mozilla. It offers a set of APIs and SDKs for developing and running chat platforms. It enables decentralized, secure communication on these platforms with end-to-end encryption. This also means that larger adopters of Beeper have the option to run the application on their own servers for additional security and peace of mind.
It’s pretty hard to imagine that Beeper would be available for free given the elaborate lengths the creators have taken to enable all the services. For those interested in using Beeper, it come with a monthly subscription fee of USD$10 (MYR40.43) for the app. If you need the jail-broken iPhone the fee is not included in the subscription.
Beeper is hardly the first app on the market that aggregates chat platforms into a single app. There are apps such as Franz and Rambox which are available on the internet without the support for iMessage. That said, Beeper holds much promise when it comes to having literally all your messaging platforms under one roof. There will be more chat networks for users to enjoy soon with night mode coming in the next version.