Twitter acquires lock-screen app Cover
Twitter has recently acquired Cover, an Android lock screen app, according to TechCrunch. Cover created an app that works with the lockscreen app on smartphones that run the Android operating system. The app allows users to customize which apps they see at a given time, allowing users to access apps that might be more useful at varying times of the day, for example, when at work, at home or driving. The app is designed to improve the usability of Android phones.
Twitter sees value in this technology for its own purposes, which were not specifically described. Facebook had made an attempt at a phone that used Facebook as its home screen, and it is speculated that Twitter may attempt something similar, using Cover's technology, which allows Android phone users to customize their home screen apps. One factor that differentiated Cover from competitors is that it was initially designed to be used with Google's Android platform instead of Apple's iOS.
"Twitter, like Cover, believes in the incredible potential of Android. They share our vision that smartphones can be a lot smarter — more useful and more contextual — and together we're going to make that happen. We'll be building upon a lot of what makes Cover great, and we're thrilled to create something even better at Twitter," said Cover on the company's blog.
Cover was launched last October, according to the blog. The company will now be joining Twitter to work on undisclosed plans. Twitter generates a lot of business from mobile, which may be the reason behind this acquisition strategy, although the specific reason behind the acquisition has not been disclosed. Cover may provide updates on their blog regarding future changes.