Encrypted messaging app Wiper is shutting down (sort of)

Wiper, the app that clears encrypted conversations from your phone with a single button, is shutting down — or pivoting. We can’t tell.

In an email to users, the company behind Wiper says it wants to focus on a new app named FreshTeam, which has the same functionality as Wiper — but adds group calling:

It has the same chat, calling and erase features as Wiper. Plus free group calling up to 100 people and optional location sharing.

The app has been pulled from Google Play and the App Store, and will no longer work after June 13. subscription plans will not renew automatically, and Wiper encourages anyone with bitcoin saved to their wallet to use a new wallet.

It’s a bit of a strange move, really. Wiper was launched only one year ago, and recently added a movie streaming service. It also gained $2 million in funding just three months ago — and that was after an initial funding of $2.5 million.

It’s also not clear why the group calling and location sharing features that makes FreshTeam unique wasn’t just built into Wiper. Perhaps the enterprise focus of FreshTeam was winning the day versus Wiper, or the team was just not into having two forward-facing products.

Either way, Wiper has been wiped from circulation.