Twitter acquires a messaging app to improve its products

In an effort to strengthen its communities, Twitter acquired Sphere, a group chat app founded in 2016 that aims to make conversations more interactive and organized.

Terms of the deal were not disclosed. But Location Sphere describes the app as a place that transforms groups into vibrant communities.

Sphere was founded in 2016 by Nick D’Aloisio, a British computer programmer turned serial entrepreneur.

The app was initially for real-time questions and answers with micropayments included. But later developed into a center for group chats.

While the standalone Sphere existed, it aimed to bring organization to mobile group chats.

As described via the Sphere website, some of its features included feeds, auto-archiving, and recalls for important messages. It also allows users to have interactive conversations categorized by specific interests.

The acquisition of Sphere marks the second deal for programmer D’Aloysio, who in 2013, when he was 17 years old, sold his news digest startup Summly to Yahoo for $30 million.

He spent two and a half years as a product manager at Yahoo before becoming an Airbnb-based entrepreneur. D’Aloisio started Sphere while studying computer science and philosophy at Oxford University, where he met his co-founder, Thomas Halgas.

according to for blog Sphere All employees of the small 20-member Sphere team are joining Twitter. Sphere said in a blog post that it is ending its standalone product in November as a result of the acquisition.

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Twitter buys group chat app Sphere

chirp Nick Caldwell, the platform’s vice president of engineering, says Sphere is helping Twitter process roadmaps for private messaging communities and Creators.

It will be particularly interesting to see the impact of Sphere on Twitter’s communities, a feature it launched in September to compete with Facebook groups.

Communities allow users to join spaces based on specific interests, such as sneaker collectors or skincare enthusiasts.

Although the communities are by invitation only at the moment, Sphere may be able to help speed up the process and make the feature available to everyone.

Twitter has over the years acquired several other startups in the UK, the most famous of which is TweetDeck. It also bought artificial intelligence companies Magic Pony Technology, Fabula.ai and Aiden.ai.

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