Twitter has acquired Android lockscreen startup Cover.
The Cover team made the announcement Monday on – what else – Twitter. And look, @twittermobile was its first response, saying “Welcome to the flock.” (Via Twitter / @coverscreen)
A more formal announcement of the deal is up on Cover’s blog, but outside of some excitement to join Twitter and love for Android, there aren’t many details given. The team writes, “[Twitter] share[s] our vision that smartphones can be a lot smarter — more useful and more contextual.”
For those of you Googling Cover, you’re not alone. The app launched in October of last year.
It’s an Android-only app that takes over your homescreen, bringing you quick access to your most used apps. And they change based on your location. (Via Cover)
“The right apps at the right time.”
The Cover team says, the app is still available for now. We can’t say exactly what Twitter’s plans are for the service.
The Verge speculates that it could be a talent grab. “It's likely then that Twitter isn't interested in taking over your lock screen so much as it's interested in Cover's creators and their experience with intelligently surfacing information”
The move comes just after Twitter lost one of its key Android engineers to Secret, an anonymous social media network. But reports say the acquisition probably wasn’t about that. (Via Twitter / @pandemona)
Say Twitter is planning a Cover-like app. They wouldn’t be the only ones.
Remember Facebook Home. The service has yet to gain much traction, but maybe Twitter thinks it can make something more attractive with Cover.
Regardless, The Wall Street Journal notes this buy “reinforces the mobile-first approach.” Currently, more than 75 percent of Twitter users access the social network via mobile.
More than that, the buy shows Twitter wants to improve its Android experience specifically, maybe even try something it can’t on iOS – like messing with the lockscreen. And that would be something new for a company that keeps its major apps looking almost identical.
