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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