Automattic, the parent company of WordPress, has broadened its portfolio by acquiring Texts.com, an application that consolidates various messaging platforms into a single inbox.
The Texts.com platform brings together a wide range of messaging apps such as iMessage, WhatsApp, Telegram, Signal, Facebook Messenger, Twitter DMs, Instagram DMs, LinkedIn, Slack, and Discord, among others.
It features end-to-end encryption and the ability to schedule messages. Mullenweg expressed his enthusiasm for the application, describing it as one of his top three most-used apps and lauding its security features.
“Using an all-in-one messaging app is a real game-changer for productivity and keeping up with things. Texts is a paid app, with discounted student pricing, and I think a lot of people will find value in it. It’s quickly become one of the top three apps I spend time using.”
The application currently exists as a desktop-only service, but the team is actively working on expanding to mobile platforms.
Texts.com addresses a rising phenomenon dubbed “appnesia,” the modern affliction of losing track of conversations across multiple apps.
The messaging service includes an AI feature that summarizes messages, drafts responses, and translates answers with ChatGPT.
While third-party platforms that consolidate messaging services have faced resistance from native apps, Mullenweg believes that Texts.com might find more acceptance given the current regulatory environment. He believes that the app maintains the security of original platforms and could even boost their engagement rates.
Automattic has continuously evolved since its inception in 2005.
Beginning with WordPress.com, it expanded to commerce with the acquisition of WooCommerce in 2015 and ventured into advertising tools with the addition of Tumblr in 2019.
With Texts.com, Automattic has entered the messaging market, diversifying into a fourth significant internet sphere.
This acquisition signals a growing trend of consolidation in digital communication, providing an all-in-one solution that could appeal to users tired of app-hopping to keep up with messages.
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