Launch HN: Chert (YC P26) – Twilio for iMessage
A YC-backed startup called Chert is offering an unofficial “Twilio for iMessage,” letting businesses and AI agents send and receive iMessages at scale with SMS/RCS fallback. Commenters question both the product’s desirability—citing fears of increased spam, erosion of trust in “blue bubble” messages, and manipulative human-like agents—and its viability, given Apple’s explicit rules against commercial use of iMessage outside its tightly controlled Business Chat program. Many argue the company is building on shaky ground, highly exposed to being shut down by Apple, while a minority see value in more natural, two-way customer support messaging if it can be kept non-abusive.
Product & Positioning
- Chert is pitched as “Twilio for iMessage”: an API to send/receive iMessages (with SMS/RCS fallback) for business use cases like customer support, scheduling, cart reminders, and form-fill follow-ups.
- Founders emphasize scale, stability, and a managed service over DIY Mac/AppleScript setups, claiming most businesses don’t want to run their own iMessage infrastructure.
- They argue iMessage feels “more conversational” than SMS/RCS due to blue bubbles, typing indicators, reactions, and US user familiarity.
Competition & Alternatives
- Multiple commenters point out existing similar products (e.g., other iMessage gateways, AI agent platforms) and question differentiation.
- Others note that Apple already provides “Messages for Business,” with richer features (forms, quick replies, app payloads) and CRM integrations.
- Founders reply that Apple’s official solution is slow to onboard, restrictive, inbound-focused, and uses visually distinct “business” bubbles.
Spam, Abuse, and User Experience
- A large portion of the thread is hostile to the idea, associating it with more spam, deceptive bots, and erosion of trust in iMessage.
- Many users explicitly say they want fewer business messages, prefer email or SMS for transactional content, and will report “abandoned cart” style messages as spam regardless of opt-in language.
- Founders say they focus on opt-in and high-importance cases (e.g., after-hours support), manually vet customers, and monitor line “health,” but admit they’re not self-serve yet and rely on process rather than strong technical safeguards.
Apple ToS & Platform Risk
- Multiple commenters cite Apple’s own language that iMessage is for personal use, not commercial messaging, and predict an eventual ban similar to the Beeper Mini case.
- Chert argues Apple is mainly against spam, points to AppleScript and existing “agents,” and believes compliant, consented use will be tolerated.
- Many see this as naïve; they stress Apple can shut it down for any reason and that the entire business is “built on quicksand.”
Meta: YC Funding & Ethics
- Commenters are surprised YC funded a model with such obvious platform and legal risk, comparing it to SIM farms / gray-market messaging.
- Some see adversarial interoperability as a positive and hope for legal precedent; others label the idea manipulative, antisocial, and something they “hope Apple kills quickly.”