Wire Swiss

Wire Swiss GmbH
Private
Industry Communication software
Founded Fall 2012
Founders Jonathan Christensen, Priidu Zilmer, Alan Duric
Headquarters Zug, Switzerland[1]
Services encrypted communication software
Number of employees
50[2]
Slogan "Messaging. Reborn."
Website wire.com

Wire Swiss GmbH is a software company headquartered in Zug, Switzerland.[1] Its development center is in Berlin, Germany.[3] The company is best known for its messaging application called Wire.

The Wire app allows users to exchange end-to-end encrypted instant messages, as well as make end-to-end encrypted voice and video calls.[1] The software is available for the iOS, Android, OS X and Windows operating systems.[4]

History

Wire Swiss GmbH was founded in Fall 2012 by Jonathan Christensen (CEO), Alan Duric (CTO) and Priidu Zilmer (head of design), who previously worked at Skype and Microsoft.[5] Jonathan Christensen previously co-founded Camino Networks in 2005 with Alan Duric, who also co-founded Telio.[6] Camino networks was later acquired by Skype, a division of Microsoft Corporation. At Skype, Jonathan was responsible for getting Skype into new platforms such as Internet televisions and set-top boxes[7] while Priidu Zilmer, former head of design at Vdio, lead the Skype design team.[8]

The company launched the Wire app on December 3, 2014. Shortly after its launch, the company retracted a claim from their website that the app's messages and conversation history could only be read by the conversation participants.[9][10] In August 2015, the company added end-to-end encrypted group calling to their app.[11] From its launch until March 2016, Wire's messages were only encrypted between the client and the company's server. In March 2016, the company added end-to-end encryption for its messaging traffic, as well as an end-to-end encrypted video calling feature.[1][2]

App

Wire
Developer(s) Wire Swiss GmbH
Initial release 3 December 2014 (2014-12-03)
Development status Active
Operating system iOS, Android, OS X, Windows
Platform
  • OS X 10.9 or later
  • Windows 7, 8/8.1 or 10[12]
  • iOS 8.0 or later
  • Android 4.2 or later
  • Wire for Web: Internet Explorer 11 or later, Firefox 31 or later, Chrome 26 or later, Safari 7 or later, Opera 27 or later
Type encrypted communication software
License Proprietary[13] with components that are licensed under various open-source licenses[14]
Website wire.com

Features

Wire allows users to exchange text, voice, photo, video and music messages.[15] The application also supports group messaging.

The app allows group calling with up to five participants.[11] A stereo feature places participants in "virtual space" so that users can differentiate voice directionality.[11] The application adapts to varying network conditions.

The application supports the exchange of animated GIFs up to 5MB through a media integration with a company called Giphy.[16] The iOS and Android versions also include a sketch feature that allows users to draw a sketch into a conversation or over a photo.[17] YouTube, Soundcloud, Spotify and Vimeo integrations allow users to share music and videos within chats.[5]

Wire is available on mobile and web. The web service is called Wire for Web.[5] Wire activity is synced on iOS, Android and web apps.[8]

Technical

Wire uses end-to-end encryption for voice and video calls, as well as instant messages. Wire's voice calls are encrypted with SRTP,[11] its video calls with RTP,[1] and its instant messages with a protocol that uses the Double Ratchet Algorithm.[1] In addition to this, client-server communication is protected by Transport Layer Security.[3]

Business model

Wire Swiss GmbH receives financial backing from a firm called Iconical.[2] In March 2016, Wire Executive Chairman Janus Friis told Bloomberg that the company will "never create an advertising-based business model", but "might charge for certain premium services in the future".[1] According to an article published by Reuters, Wire Swiss GmbH has not disclosed how much funding it has received and has yet to discover a sustainable business model.[2]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Kahn, Jeremy (10 March 2016). "Amid Apple's FBI fight, app developers are ramping up encryption". Chicago Tribune. Tribune Publishing. Retrieved 11 March 2016.
  2. 1 2 3 4 Auchard, Eric (11 March 2016). "Skype co-founder launches ultra-private messaging, with video". Thomson Reuters. Reuters. Retrieved 11 March 2016.
  3. 1 2 Dredge, Stuart. "Skype co-founder backs Wire - to take on Skype". The Guardian. Retrieved 3 December 2014.
  4. "Ex-Skypers Launch 'Wire' Chat App". PCMag. Retrieved 3 December 2014.
  5. 1 2 3 Perez, Sarah. "Skype Co-Founder Backs Wire, A New Communications App Launching Today On iOS, Android And Mac". TechCrunch. Retrieved 2 December 2014.
  6. "Initial Thoughts On "Wire", The New Communication App From Ex-Skypers". DisruptiveTelephony.com. Retrieved 3 December 2014.
  7. "A veteran & key Skype executive leaves. Quietly!". GigaOm. Retrieved 1 February 2012.
  8. 1 2 Sawers, Paul (2 December 2014). "Wire wants to be Skype for the modern age, launches with the backing of Skype co-founder Janus Friis". VentureBeat. Retrieved 2 December 2014.
  9. "New communications app Wire tones down encryption claims". PCWorld. 5 December 2014. Retrieved 11 March 2016.
  10. Cox, Joseph (4 December 2014). "App Built by Former Skype Employees Retracts Promise Not to Read Your Messages". Wired. Condé Nast. Retrieved 11 March 2016.
  11. 1 2 3 4 Pierce, David (12 August 2015). "Messaging App Declares War on Crappy Conference Calls". Wired. Condé Nast. Retrieved 12 August 2015.
  12. "Former Skype team members returning to Windows with Wire for Windows". Supersite for Windows. Retrieved 29 October 2015.
  13. "Terms of Use". Wire Swiss GmbH. 29 April 2015. Retrieved 11 March 2016.
  14. "License Information". Wire Swiss GmbH. 20 November 2015. Retrieved 11 March 2016.
  15. "Meet Wire, A Communications App Backed By Skype Co-founder Janus Friis". Fast Company. Retrieved 3 December 2014.
  16. "Wire and Giphy Make Communication Fun". AppMess. Retrieved 30 June 2015.
  17. "Communicating "I Love You" in the Emoji Era". PSFK. Retrieved 17 July 2015.

External links

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