With the emergence of social media in the last two decades, the world has become much smaller. People around the planet can now get in contact with each other with just a click of a button. A few decades ago, this might not have been even imaginable but nowadays we don’t even think how privileged we are to have all these tools at our disposal. The instant messaging networks have made life easier but with the rise of one messaging app after another it can sometimes get confusing.
The presence of multiple IM networks ensures that there is a healthy competition which is eventually good for the users. However, there are so many of them now that it can be tough to manage and keep up with all the accounts. A decade ago, a software program named Trillian tried to deal with the same problem. It introduced a way in which the users can use several IM networks such as AIM, ICQ, and MSN Messenger, in a single window.
However, that initiative was not as successful as the creators might have liked. Now after so many years another app wants to do the same. Y Combinator Partner and the founder of Pebble, Eric Migicovsky is building centralized access to modern-day chat applications by revisiting the same concept used by Trillian more than a decade ago. Beeper, the recently launched app can help the user connect 15 different messaging accounts. The 15 messaging services includes Signal, Instagram, Telegram, WhatsApp, Twitter DMs, Skype, Messenger, Hangouts, and even iMessage (using a few tricks).
The founder of Beeper says that he first got the idea when he was working on Pebble which was later acquired by Fitbit. Earlier technological barriers came up when Migicovsky tried to think of a way to build an app like Beeper. But when he learned about a protocol called Matrix, he realized that it can be used to finally make the app that he has been thinking about all this time. Matrix is an API that allows developers to connect to other chat networks using a “bridge”. The messages can be relayed back and forth from one side to another using this “bridge”. When Migicovsky finally had the technical knowledge that was necessary to build something like Beeper, he made his dream come true.
The Beeper app is open-source so people can see for themselves the code they are running. Although making most instant messaging apps work with Beeper was not easy, iMessage turned out to be the toughest to run on the app. But the team found a way to encrypt the messages and send them over the Beeper network. This feature now allows Android, Linux, and Windows users to use iMessage. Since iPhone users will be using the app on their accord apple can’t claim that Beeper is hacking their phones. The current climate of messaging freedom will also put pressure on iPhone to not blacklist Beeper is just providing a great service to its users.
If Migicovsky is to be believed, Beeper is off to a great start and though he declined to share any details so far, it seems that the app has a great opportunity. It will be crucial how it deals with the controversies that might emerge once it gets big enough. But the idea and execution have been on point so far. Beeper has a lot to look forward to.
Eva winget is a Microsoft Office expert and has been working in the technical industry since 2006. As a technical expert, Bella has written technical blogs, manuals, white papers, and reviews for many websites.
Source: Beeper: The Universal Chat App That You Would Love
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