A new universal chat app called “Beeper” combines 15 different chat platforms into a single inbox and brings iMessage access to Android and Windows devices.
The Verge reports the app comes courtesy of a team led by former Pebble CEO Eric Migicovsky. The app integrates a number of messaging services, including WhatsApp, SMS, Signal, Telegram, Slack, Twitter, Skype, Hangouts, Discord, Instagram, and Facebook Messenger, into a single, searchable inbox. The app also supports Apple’s iMessage, which is only officially available on Apple devices.
The app uses some “trickery” to pull off the iMessage access, as the website’s FAQ reveals that users will require an always-connected Mac running the Beeper app to use as a bridge.
This was a tough one to figure out! Beeper has two ways of enabling Android, Windows and Linux users to use iMessage: we send each user a Jailbroken iPhone with the Beeper app installed which bridges to iMessage, or if they have a Mac that is always connected to the internet, they can install the Beeper Mac app which acts as a bridge.
The app was developed using the open-source Matrix messaging protocol. While the short-term target is to have users make use of Beeper to chat across multiple services, Migicovsky has discussed the possibility that users will gradually transition to the open-source Matrix itself to chat, rather than simply using it as a bridge between services.
Beeper will cost $10 per month for its hosted option and will be available on the macOS, Windows, Linux, iOS, and Android device platforms. You can request an early invitation to join the app on the Beeper website.