Automattic expands its reach by buying Texts.com

Automattic, the company behind WordPress, has added a new asset to its roster by purchasing Texts.com. This application lets users bring all their messaging apps into one unified inbox.

What Texts.com offers

Texts.com is not just another messaging platform. It integrates many apps, including iMessage, WhatsApp, Telegram, Signal, Facebook Messenger, Twitter and Instagram Direct Messages, LinkedIn, Slack, and Discord. It aims to be a one-stop hub for all your communication needs. Texts.com also takes security seriously, offering end-to-end encryption and features like message scheduling.

Matt Mullenweg, the founder of Automattic, is thrilled with the acquisition. He said, “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.”

Currently, Texts.com is available only as a desktop service but plans to expand to mobile platforms are in the works.

Tackling the issue of “appnesia”

The app targets a growing issue known as “appnesia,” where people lose track of ongoing conversations across different messaging platforms. Texts.com is designed to fix this by pulling all your conversations into a single space.

Another intriguing feature is incorporating an AI tool, ChatGPT, which can summarise messages, draft responses, and even translate text for you. This makes it easier to manage your communications efficiently.

A promising future

While some third-party apps that aim to consolidate messaging services have faced pushback from the original platforms, Mullenweg is optimistic about Texts.com’s prospects. He believes that the current regulatory environment might be more welcoming to such integrations and that Texts.com could even help increase user engagement on the original platforms.

This purchase is a significant move for Automattic, extending its reach beyond website development, e-commerce, and social media tools. The company started with WordPress.com in 2005, bought WooCommerce for e-commerce in 2015, and added Tumblr for social media in 2019. Now, Texts.com has ventured into a new area of the internet, adding messaging to its diverse portfolio.

The acquisition also indicates a broader trend towards streamlining digital communication. As more people seek an all-in-one solution for messaging, Texts.com could be the answer to the fatigue of switching between multiple apps to stay connected.