messaging
WhatsApp is introducing a new way for people to organize events in Communities, the company announced on Wednesday. The feature makes it easier to plan get-togethers and events directly in…
WordPress.com owner Automattic acquires multiservice messaging app Beeper for $125M
The deal, which was for $125 million according to sources close to the matter, is Automattic’s second acquisition of a cross-platform messaging solution.
A month away from the Digital Markets Act (DMA) deadline, WhatsApp is preparing to allow other messaging networks in its app. In an interview with Wired, Dick Brouwer, an engineering…
What’s next for Texts.com under new owner Automattic, as Apple cracks down on rival Beeper
What’s next for Texts.com? The all-in-one messaging app was acquired this fall by WordPress.com owner Automattic for $50 million, marking the company’s first official expansion into the world of private messaging…
Connectly taps automation to nudge shoppers to complete purchases
Most consumers interact with e-commerce brands through social media, text and email. Brands reach out with promotions and discounts. But the engagement and read rates tend to be low; according…
WordPress.com owner buys all-in-one messaging app Texts.com for $50M
WordPress.com and Tumblr owner Automattic is adding another company to its portfolio with today’s news that it has acquired the all-in-one messaging app Texts.com for $50 million. The app brings…
Google’s Messages app will now use RCS by default and encrypt group chats
Google announced today it’s making its Messages by Google app more secure with improvements to RCS, or Rich Communication Services — a protocol aimed at replacing SMS that is more…
What does Coinbase Wallet’s latest DM feature mean for the ecosystem?
What is Coinbase’s new messaging feature really good for and how will people use it? We had a few thoughts.
Blockchain messaging protocol LayerZero raises $120M, hitting $3B valuation
LayerZero Labs, a web3 messaging protocol, has closed a $120 million Series B round, raising its valuation to $3 billion from $1 billion, the company said on Tuesday. Unlike Web…
Anonymous social apps have a history of devolving into bullying and harassment, ultimately leading to their failure. But a new startup called Ghost believes that putting in extra guardrails around…
Featured Article
Inside Matrix, the protocol that might finally make messaging apps interoperable
Interoperability and decentralization have been major themes in tech this year, driven in large part by mounting regulation, societal and industrial pressure and the hype trains that are crypto and web3. That rising tide is lifting other boats, such as an open standards-based communication protocol called Matrix — which is…
LinkedIn rolls out focused inbox and messaging safety tools as it gets to grip with spam and scams
LinkedIn, the social platform for the working world for networking and recruitment, hasn’t been the biggest name in headlines when it comes to how social media is leveraged for spam,…
Malaysia-based Respond.io helps businesses juggle multiple messaging apps
There are multiple messaging apps active in Southeast Asia, and most consumers prefer to use them over email when they contact a business. Respond.io serves as a central dashboard for…
Don’t you hate it when, after going just five or 10 meters underwater, you lose signal completely? Now this vexing limitation of modern technology is being addressed by researchers at…
Google’s new campaign attempts to publicly pressure Apple into adopting RCS
Google is launching a new “Get The Message” campaign and website today to pressure Apple into changing its mind on RCS. The tech giant has been increasingly calling out Apple…
Apple’s latest iOS 16 beta introduces a history log for edited messages
Apple has released the fourth developer beta for iOS 16 on Wednesday, bringing limits to the ability to edit and delete iMessages. Most notably, the company is adding an edit…
Cordial, which personalizes and automates cross-channel messaging campaigns, raises $50M
Cordial, a cross-channel marketing and data management platform, today announced that it closed a $50 million Series C funding round led by NewSpring, with participation from new investor ABS Capital.…
Startups race to build a crypto-native, consumer-friendly messaging platform for web3
There’s no shortage of headlines about the onset of “crypto winter.” Amid a growing pile of bankruptcies, one of the buzziest startups in the business, the NFT marketplace OpenSea, announced…
Take Blip lands $70M to grow its omnichannel messaging service
Take Blip, an online messaging platform for businesses, today announced that it raised $70 million in a Series B round led by Warburg Pincus. CEO Roberto Oliveira said that the…
WhatsApp to launch ‘Communities’ — more structured group chats with admin controls
Meta is throwing billions of dollars into building out the metaverse as the future of social networking, but in the near term, the tech giant is looking toward the power…
Signal, the encrypted messaging app, is currently down for many users (Update: it’s back)
Update 2: Signal is now back up for “99% of users,” according to its Twitter account. Update: In a tweet, Signal said the disruption is due to a hosting outage.…
Slack releases Clips video tool, announces 16 Salesforce integrations
Slack has been talking about expanding beyond text-based messaging for some time. Today at Dreamforce, the Salesforce customer conference taking place this week, it announced Clips, a way to leave…
Cameo launches Cameo Calls, a service for fans to video chat with celebs
If you really want to video chat tonight with William Hung of retro American Idol fame… got twenty bucks to spare? Yesterday, Cameo launched its Cameo Calls products, which lets…
Twitter rolls out a series of improvements to its Direct Message system
Have you ever tried to share a funny tweet with a few friends via Twitter DM, only to accidentally start a group chat? You’re not alone. Today, Twitter announced that…
WhatsApp gains the ability to transfer chat history between mobile operating systems
WhatsApp users will finally be able to move their entire chat history between mobile operating systems — something that’s been one of users’ biggest requests to date. The company today…
Sinch snaps up MessageMedia for $1.3B to compete with Twilio in business SMS services
Sinch — the Swedish company that provides a suite of services for companies to build communications and specifically “customer engagement” into their services by way of APIs — has made…
Sinch, a Swedish customer engagement giant, raises $1.1B, SoftBank and Temasek participating
Sinch — a Twilio competitor based out of Sweden that provides a suite of services to companies to build communications and specifically “customer engagement” into their services by way of…
Instagram launches tools to filter out abusive DMs based on keywords and emojis, and to block people, even on new accounts
Facebook and its family of apps have long grappled with the issue of how to better manage — and eradicate — bullying and other harassment on its platform, turning both…
Sendbird raises $100M at a $1B+ valuation, says 150M+ users now interact using its chat and video APIs
Messaging is the medium these days, and today a startup that has built an API to help others build text and video interactivity into their services is announcing a big…
Holler raises $36M to power ‘conversational media’ in your favorite apps
Holler, described by founder and CEO Travis Montaque as “a conversational media company,” just announced that it’s raised $36 million in Series B funding. You may not know what conversational…