68 pointsby DmitryDolgopolo10 days ago32 comments
  • danpalmer10 days ago
    "better Beeper"

    This is a different Beeper. I don't want a personal CRM, I know everyone in my Beeper chats well enough that I don't need a sidebar to prompt me about where they live. Conversely, I need Signal and Facebook Messenger because that's where my loved ones are.

    However I can absolutely see that some people would want this. CRM for email is a solved problem and many professionals use CRM tools, but it doesn't exist in the same way for chat, and maybe it should (although email feels like the bigger market). This is probably in desperate need for a LinkedIn connection though.

    My advice to the Amber team: is this for work or personal use? Pick one, make it great for that, and don't try to force it to be the other.

    • ls-a6 days ago
      Anything is automatically better than Beeper
    • DmitryDolgopolo10 days ago
      great point
  • kylecordes10 days ago
    These tools always fall short, not because the teams making them are bad, but because the underlying chat tools they build on are adversarial to the idea of a third-party UI replacing their UI. A new entrant might escape their ire for a while, of course.
  • emaro10 days ago
    Cool, I like to see more innovation in this space.

    You obviously have different needs than what Beeper provides, but claiming it's better when you only support a fraction of the networks is a bit steep imo.

    Curious what other networks you plan to support and what are your monetization plans?

    I really like the addition of folders and CRM features compared to Beeper.

    The networks I'm interested in are Telegram (you already got that), Signal, Instagram, Matrix, Threema, Slack and Teams (in that order).

    • jagermo10 days ago
      Me too. Even if a lot of the innovation is what we already had with pidgin or trillian years ago. but i love that the walled gardens get torn down a bit. More, please.
  • kingnothing10 days ago
    Not what I want to see from the homepage for an app that wants to read all of my messages.

    > Secure Connection Failed

    > An error occurred during a connection to useamber.app. PR_CONNECT_RESET_ERROR

    • CryptoBanker10 days ago
      Are you on a work computer/network? Your IT department may be blocking things as mine is
    • DmitryDolgopolo10 days ago
      lmao

      Seems like a DNS issue. Are you using VPN? We used Framer to host the site.

      • DmitryDolgopolo10 days ago
        The Framer team wonders if you continue experiencing the same issue if you use a different browser. Hope this is helpful.
  • ajsnigrutin10 days ago
    Three random services only, and "AI" for some reasons...

    Pidgin at least supports service plugins and many more protocols, and doesn't have AI, which is a big plus when we're talking about private messaging.

    • dingnuts10 days ago
      AI feeding into a "private" database, so after the keylogger sends everything to OpenAI you can have a garbage summary!

      Or if it uses a local model, enjoy the warmth and sound of your GPU while it consumes all of your system resources for instant messaging on, well, as you put it, three random services

      but you know he tried Beeper!!!

      • DmitryDolgopolo10 days ago
        Our users (including top founders and VCs) usually trust us with the AI features because it saves time and thinking.

        However, you can turn off the AI features if you're into full privacy. :)

        • giancarlostoro10 days ago
          > However, you can turn off the AI features if you're into full privacy. :)

          I think marketing for AI should always start off with "Includes opt-in AI features should you want them" instead of just "HEY WE HAVE AI" I feel like it would make a lot of people close the browser tab much later than expected.

          • DmitryDolgopolo10 days ago
            great point
            • giancarlostoro10 days ago
              I'm one who loves some of the AI stuff after being a skeptic, but I see a LOT of immediate hatred for it, sadly even when it is purely opt-in (as it should be tbh).
        • devilkin10 days ago
          > Our users (including top founders and VCs) usually trust us with the AI features because it saves time and thinking.

          I like to think myself, not have AI do it for me ;)

  • ohcmon10 days ago
    This is super cool, but unfortunately has to be open source and with signed reproducible builds.
    • NVQXE23I10 days ago
      You can only sign in by using Google? This sounds really phishy to me.
    • vips7L10 days ago
      Why?
    • NoImmatureAdHom10 days ago
      lol yes 100%

      If it's not open source it's a trap.

  • sjdrc10 days ago
    You write all messages multiple times, them clarify it's only 3 services. Stop that. If it doesn't support everything mainstream, don't claim "all".
  • Imustaskforhelp10 days ago
    I think beeper does have folders right?

    Also the fact is that I don't need AI included into this software.

    Its nice that it never touches your server but beeper is also moving forward in that direction and beeper is also open source and uses the matrix protocol so you can actually be free to use any matrix clients.

    What about yours? As someone who uses beeper for talking with insta chats with my friends, I have no regrets picking beeper.

    • Defletter10 days ago
      > Also the fact is that I don't need AI included into this software.

      Yup, the fact that every new service now is AI-first is troubling... it's literally the first thing said about Amber when going on their website. My tab says "Amber — AI-enabled all-in-on...". It's like the only thing they want you to know about their service.

    • emaro10 days ago
      I don't think Beeper is Open Source. They published some of their bridges, but the client is closed source afaik.
  • andrewmcwatters10 days ago
    You need screenshots on the front page. Put one front and center next to your hero text so it's right there above the fold.
    • DmitryDolgopolo10 days ago
      Great thought! We're fixing this right now.
      • giancarlostoro10 days ago
        Screenshots and gifs or something like your Loom, you need a little trailer thing that showcases the app, and its top use cases with minimal noise (minimal chat windows for demo purposes). Heck, start with a few messages, then flood in, and showcase how it helps to keep you organized, that sort of thing.
      • 0x26410 days ago
        Yes, pictures of the user interface will help a lot. Thanks!
      • andrewmcwatters10 days ago
        Best of luck on your work, it does look solid!
  • richwater10 days ago
    > All messages are end-to-end encrypted and go straight from your device to the network of choice – never touching our servers.

    Just because the messages themselves aren't proxied doesn't mean a service can't steal the content on the end device. I'm obviously not saying you _are_ doing that, but the trust issue is my biggest issue here.

  • jshchnz10 days ago
    as much as i want something like this to exist... fool me once, shame on thee; fool me twice, shame on me

    with that being said, good luck!

  • hmokiguess10 days ago
    Are there any open source clients for this out there? Also, if someone were to build that, what are the protocols one would even use to get these things talking to each other and reconciling the different accounts quirks
    • Jonovono10 days ago
      I think most of these are built using Matrix: https://matrix.org. They have connections with most providers like iMessage, FB, Instagram, etc
      • WorldPeas10 days ago
        I don't think they use that anymore though? From what I've heard it all happens locally now with a proprietary solution.
        • Jonovono10 days ago
          Interesting, i'd be curious to learn more. It's been awhile since I looked into Beeper/Texts type apps.
          • WorldPeas10 days ago
            at least from talking to Eric at a meetup, I think some are still on remote implementations. I know texts definitely needs to do the iMessage implementation locally, but they're moving everything client-side, which to me as a thunderbird user, makes the most sense. I just wish we could have something like libpurple again that would allow me to finally get back to the everything-in-one-app paradigm
      • swyx10 days ago
        ok is there an "open source beeper" that has emerged that i can play with? cant use amber because closed source
        • tulir10 days ago
          The bridges made for Beeper are all open source (https://github.com/mautrix/), so you can set up your own Matrix server with bridges and use any open source Matrix client (https://matrix.org/ecosystem/clients/).

          Besides Beeper, the only consumer bridge hosting service I'm aware of is Element One, but it's only barely maintained, so I'd definitely recommend self-hosting over that.

  • devilkin10 days ago
    Before I would even consider something like this:

    * Where's your privacy policy?

    * What/how are you handling the different customer protection laws? What juristictions are you working in? Where's the data hosted?

    * Where's the design description?

    * What encryption are you actually using? If you rolled your own, then well.. good luck.

    * How could you ensure end-to-end encryption over multiple protocols, without either completely reverse engineering said protocols? If your answer here would be that you're using a central server where messages get passed between services (and thus decrypted), it isn't end-to-end.

    The site is also very flaky. Sometimes it loads, sometimes it doesn't. There are so many questions, and zero answers.

    • DmitryDolgopolo10 days ago
      - Yep. You can read our privacy policy here: https://dimadolgopolovn.notion.site/Amber-Privacy-Policy-256... - Check out the demo in the original post. - We use native API or reverse-engineer a solution depending on the platform. This approach maintains the security standard as high as the original app. Everything is done locally on your computer.
      • devilkin10 days ago
        At that point calling it end-to-end encrypted is not true.
        • warkdarrior10 days ago
          What definition of "end-to-end encrypted" do you refer to, if on-device processing does not qualify? Isn't your device one of the endpoints in E2EE?
          • magackame10 days ago
            In context of instant messaging E2EE usually means that service providers servers don't ever see the plaintext with messages stored on device. Just the transport encryption is already an expectation for all networking.

            - Signal: E2EE

            - Telegram: by default, nah

            - Discord, nah

        • j4hdufd810 days ago
          Can you elaborate where you think it stops being encrypted?
      • f4ye7 days ago
        could you please link to stuff like the demo and the privacy policy on the site? i only found this thread by chance and would have missed it otherwise ^^;
    • giancarlostoro10 days ago
      > The site is also very flaky. Sometimes it loads, sometimes it doesn't.

      That's probably the HN front page effect to be fair.

      • busymom010 days ago
        Something is weird about the javascript or CSS on the site. When I first scroll down, many things didn't animate and didn't show. When I scroll up and then scroll back down again, then they animated in.
  • vivzkestrel10 days ago
    i have never seen a messenger app made by anyone that was capable of migrating all the existing users and their chats from another platform instantly. the day someone makes this, its gonna get traction by a mile compared to anything else out there. imagine clicking "import from messenger" and boom all users and chats from messenger added and clicking "import from whatsapp", "import from wechat" you get the idea
  • lxe10 days ago
    I've been using BlueBubbles because the only thing I needed Beeper for is to get iMessage working on windows and linux.
    • vips7L10 days ago
      Doesn’t phonelink support that on windows?
  • threatofrain10 days ago
    Google only login :(.
    • NVQXE23I10 days ago
      A deal-breaker for me and others.
    • DmitryDolgopolo10 days ago
      We're working on it
      • 10 days ago
        undefined
  • thedumbname10 days ago
    Light mode and Apple font please
  • dotancohen10 days ago
    I'm most interested in the CRM. I'm a Linux and Android user, so there's currently nothing for me to try, but a page dedicated to the CRM features might get my email address on your mailing list.

    Good luck!

  • nkotov10 days ago
    Cool product! I'd love to see a more refined personal CRM. Right now, it's a hit and miss with contacts on Apple.
  • whilenot-dev10 days ago
    Is your AI implementation on device only or is it making use of a 3rd party service (OpenAI, Anthropic, Google etc.)?
    • DmitryDolgopolo10 days ago
      We use OpenAI models, and the data is never stored on our servers. The features are, however, fully optional.
      • whilenot-dev10 days ago
        This does conflict with the premise "All messages are end-to-end encrypted and go straight from your device to the network of choice".
  • pbiggar10 days ago
    Would love you to add Signal, as well as DMs in Instagram, Twitter, Bluesky, LinkedIn.
  • e3838310 days ago
    Does this support every feature of the messengers you support?
  • numbers10 days ago
    if you can make the UI/UX of this better than messages, whatsapps, etc combined, then I'd be willing to pay money for it.
    • DmitryDolgopolo10 days ago
      Would love to hear your thoughts on the app! Feel free to reach out to me directly if you encounter any issues. dima@perillalabs.com
  • starik3610 days ago
    How are you supporting iMessage? What method?
  • mvine21710 days ago
    Niceeee
  • saulpw10 days ago
    Mac only.
  • giancarlostoro10 days ago
    Looks neat, I'm a little concerned about your iMessage support, is this even allowed by Apple? You might find some resistance on that front.
  • PaulShin8 days ago
    Good job bro
  • mathiaspoint10 days ago
    >Personal CRM

    Interesting to hear I'm not the only one who's found the need to write something like this.

    • Lalabadie10 days ago
      It's a market! Kindest seems to have staying power: https://www.kindestapp.com

      I first thought to share Clay (https://clay.earth) but I see they were acquired by Automattic recently.

    • Multicomp10 days ago
      Monica CRM is one too, it sits abandoned on my still powered on raspi zero w because I don't have a queue habit set up to cause me to go check it, but it was nice as a digital personal Rolodex with more automation than just contacts app that's barely more than a vcard
  • Abidrahman43510 days ago
    [dead]
  • curtisszmania10 days ago
    [dead]
  • Abidrahman43510 days ago
    [flagged]