Startup Behind Anonymous App Secret Unveils Another New App: 'Ping'

The startup behind anonymous posting app Secret has unveiled another new app, Ping.

Secret’s latest creation appeared on Apple’s app store Friday evening, and Ben Lee, Secret’s principal designer, published a blog post unveiling the company’s new creation.

The app works by sending users notifications to their phone’s lock screen. People select the topics they wish to follow — “Trending on Twitter” or “Apps Worth Downloading” — and then Ping alerts them when new stuff crops up from that specific category.

For now, it looks as if Ping, which was created during a company hackathon, according to Lee, only contains eight categories for users to choose from. It’s unclear where these categories came from, or what the notifications are based on. The company released this video showing off the app’s design, which really only features two main screens.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e96xQdfhtak

So far, it doesn’t look like Ping has anything to do with Secret, the company’s other app. It’s also unclear if this is a serious new direction for the startup. It does, however, play into the multi-app strategy many consumer tech companies in Silicon Valley are taking, including established social networks like Facebook and LinkedIn.

Secret has been the subject of intense media attention since the beginning of the year. It allows users to post anonymous messages to a group chat room, creating a non-stop gossip mill within Silicon Valley. The company has raised two funding rounds since January, including $25 million from Index Ventures and Redpoint Ventures in July.

Ping evolves.

— David Byttow (@davidbyttow) September 27, 2014

Update: Secret CEO David Byttow confirmed in an email to Re/code that Ping is not tied in any way to the company’s other app, Secret. He also says that the app “adapts to you, and evolves itself” as users engage with it. That means you should see additional, relevant categories as you use Ping. “The key with AI [artificial intelligence] is to start small and simple,” he explains.

This article originally appeared on Recode.net.

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