Chert

Chert is an iMessage infrastructure platform built by Chert Technologies Inc., backed by Y Combinator, Z Fellows, and Betafund. It provides a REST API and webhook layer that lets product and revenue teams send and receive real iMessage threads — not SMS — at scale, with support for AI agents, lifecycle messaging, and cold outbound. The company is headquartered in Seattle, WA and is actively live, having launched on Product Hunt.

What It Is

Chert sits between a business's backend (or CRM) and a customer's iPhone, delivering genuine peer-to-peer iMessage threads with the blue-bubble UX. Unlike A2P SMS services such as Twilio, Chert routes messages over Apple's iMessage protocol, which means end-to-end encryption, read receipts, tapbacks, typing indicators, and group chats are all natively available. When a recipient is not on iMessage, Chert automatically falls back to SMS or RCS and surfaces that distinction in the API response.

How the Platform Works

Chert exposes a single API surface covering the full iMessage feature set:

• Blue-bubble messaging — real iMessage threads with verified senders and end-to-end encryption
• Typing indicators and tapbacks — live indicators and emoji reactions captured natively
• Group chats — multi-recipient threads with named senders
• SMS/RCS fallback — auto-rerouted when the recipient is off-platform
• Attachments — photos, PDFs, and links sent natively in-thread
• Delivery telemetry — sub-second deliverability state per message
• Webhooks — every inbound and outbound event is surfaced in real time
• Verified phone numbers, message receipts, and compliance audits are also listed as platform capabilities

Deliverability Architecture

Because iMessage is tied to Apple ID rather than carrier infrastructure, it bypasses the carrier-side filtering that affects A2P SMS. The Chert FAQ states the platform rotates sending identities, warms them gradually, and caps volume per identity per day to stay below Apple's abuse-detection heuristics. This approach is positioned as a structural advantage over SMS blast tools.

Target Workflows and Audience

Chert targets B2C startups and revenue teams across four primary use cases the site describes:

• Onboarding — welcome messages triggered at signup
• Customer support — resolve issues in iMessage without a ticket portal
• B2C AI agents — conversational agents that book, reschedule, and answer like a real person
• Cold outbound — SDR-style prospecting with higher reply rates than cold email

CRM and Tool Integrations

Chert connects to Salesforce, Slack, and HubSpot via its REST API and webhooks. The site notes native sync for common events such as lead created, meeting booked, and opt-out received. Teams that prefer not to build the integration themselves can have Chert handle it during onboarding.

Current Status

Chert is live and accepting customers, with a Product Hunt launch announced on the homepage. The company is backed by Y Combinator and lists several named customers on its homepage logo strip. Onboarding starts with a 20-minute call, and the team states setup via API and webhooks takes under a minute according to their site metrics.