Do You Ever Wish You Could Unsend A Text Message Or An Email? Well, This Black Founder Tried To Solve The Problem Through An Innovative App
Maci Peterson – who has sent her share of accidental text messages — tried to put end to the embarrassing-text-epidemic with the long-adored app she launched when she was just 28-years-old.
Peterson launched On Second Thought back in December 2014 as a texting app that allows users to “take back” a text up to 60 seconds after it was sent before it reaches the receiver.
It grew with 42,000 users. Called “The Texting Savior” by AT&T, On Second Thought was reportedly a patented, mobile delay/recall technology that lets users take back transactions before they get to the other person.
The software development kit (SDK) enabled end-users to undo text messages, social media posts, financial transactions, emails, and any other form of mobile communication.
On Second Thought was also recognized on Inc Magazine’s 30 Under 30 List in 2016, and won 1st place in the Women Who Tech Startup Challenge, the #StartupOasis pitch competition at South by Southwest, TechNoir sponsored by AT&T, and the Internet Marketing Association’s Startup Battlefield.
On Second Thought was based in San Francisco, CA, and its founder was given an undisclosed amount by the Black Angel Tech Fund, a group of investors founded by Rob Berry.
It’s important to note that the app was only for Android devices.
How was it developed?
She said to USA Today: “I can do basic HTML coding but I can’t build a sophisticated app,” she says. Therefore, after a whirlwind of brainstorming and trial-and-error with development, Peterson co-founded the app with two technology and design gurus: Chief Operating Officer Stewart Voit and Chief Creative Officer Gary Keeler.
“It’s a phenomenal team,” says Peterson. In November, the OST team traveled to the Web Summit in Dublin where On Second Thought was a featured start-up and exhibitor. The summit gave the app the recognition it needed to drive further developments, and OST was officially launched six weeks later.
“We have a really fun road map [planned] for the app, for a lot of different features,” says Peterson. “The goal is for us to be your messaging destination, so no matter who you’re trying to contact or what you’re trying to do, you can do it through On Second Thought with our insurance of being able to fix your mistakes before anyone knows you’ve made them.”
How do you use it?
First, you could download “On Second Thought SMS” in the Google Play Store.
After downloading, go to the app’s settings and set your “grace period.” The grace period is the amount of time you have to change your mind about a text you just sent; it goes up to 60 seconds. If you decide to unsend the message, simply swipe left and the would-be recipient will never know you texted them. It works even if the other person hasn’t downloaded the app.
Is it still operating?
So we actually don’t think the app is still operating as we can’t find it on the app store. The company does still appear to be active on Crunchbase but POCIT has sent a query to the ‘On Second Thought’ team and we’ll let you know once we have a more concrete answer.
