Yahoo Messenger wants you back
Yahoo Messenger wants you back
Yahoo is revamping its venerable talk service, which was released all the way back in 1998, to attempt to challenge with the likes of rookies Snapchat and Facebook-owned WhatsApp.
Internet
Yahoo has revamped Messenger to get "back in touch with the market."
You may know Snapchat, WhatsApp and Google’s Gchat. But do you recall Yahoo Messenger?
It’s the venerable talk service from the bygone era of mate lists and screen names, much like AOL’s Instant Messenger. Introduced in 1998, Yahoo’s service has languished in latest years as fresh talk apps have drawn whirr. (To be fair, an informal poll at my office shows that Yahoo Messenger still has fervent users.)
Now Yahoo is hoping the service can make a comeback. The Sunnyvale, California, company released a revamped version of the talk service’s app on Thursday. It’s available on the Web, in Yahoo’s email service, on Apple iPhones and on smartphones powered by Google’s Android mobile software.
The question is, will you want to use it? Does it do anything you can’t already do with one of its rivals? Yahoo thinks the reaction is yes because of fresh features such as the capability to unsend messages. (Tipsy texts, ahem.)
The product launch could also be one of the most awkwardly timed in latest memory, however. Earlier this week, news reports citing anonymous sources said that Yahoo is weighing a selloff of its entire Web products and advertising business, presumably because they’re beyond saving. Then, along comes a major product revamp — about a year in the making. A Yahoo spokeswoman declined to comment on the reports.
For Austin Shoemaker, senior director of product management for Yahoo Messenger, the hope is simply to get the app back on track.
"We already have a Yahoo Messenger in the market that we have not been maintaining actively for the last duo of years," Shoemaker said. "This gets us back in touch with the market."
There’s good reason for that. Messaging has been a battleground for Silicon Valley companies in latest years. Facebook paid $Nineteen billion last year for WhatsApp, the talk service that has exploded in popularity and that, by the way, was co-founded by former Yahoo employees. Other players like Snapchat, with its ephemeral messaging shtick, have also been a big hit with teenagers and youthfull adults.
Yahoo wouldn’t specify how many people use Messenger other than to say it is has "millions of users."
Yahoo hopes fresh features like unsending messages will attract users.
Very first, people can now unsend messages at any time. That’s a big deal because no other major messaging service lets you do that. Even months after they are sent, you can recall typo-laced messages or photos you regret sending. But the feature could also be a turnoff for people worried with posterity — or for bickering couples who can’t go back to a reliable transcript after an argument. Shoemaker acknowledges that the feature is a "trade-off."
Related Stories
The updated app is also designed to let you send hundreds of pictures at a time, quickly. That’s due to technology Shoemaker developed at Cooliris, the talk startup Yahoo bought last year, bringing him to the company. To speed up the sending process, the service presents you with a low-resolution version of the picture very first, then substitutes it with a higher-resolution one when downloading is accomplish.
The revamp will let you "like" individual messages, as you can do on Facebook and Twitter. The app also lets you rapidly find GIFs to add to messages. Fresh movie features are coming too, Shoemaker said.
This isn’t Yahoo’s only attempt at getting messaging back on track. In July, the company introduced Livetext, a talk app that pursues the zeitgeist of Snapchat. Livetext lets you videoconference with other people, but with text instead of sound. Shoemaker said Livetext and the fresh Yahoo Messenger serve different audiences and will coexist, at least for now.
Yahoo Messenger wants you back
Yahoo Messenger wants you back
Yahoo is revamping its venerable talk service, which was released all the way back in 1998, to attempt to rival with the likes of rookies Snapchat and Facebook-owned WhatsApp.
Internet
Yahoo has revamped Messenger to get "back in touch with the market."
You may know Snapchat, WhatsApp and Google’s Gchat. But do you reminisce Yahoo Messenger?
It’s the venerable talk service from the bygone era of mate lists and screen names, much like AOL’s Instant Messenger. Introduced in 1998, Yahoo’s service has languished in latest years as fresh talk apps have drawn hum. (To be fair, an informal poll at my office shows that Yahoo Messenger still has fervent users.)
Now Yahoo is hoping the service can make a comeback. The Sunnyvale, California, company released a revamped version of the talk service’s app on Thursday. It’s available on the Web, in Yahoo’s email service, on Apple iPhones and on smartphones powered by Google’s Android mobile software.
The question is, will you want to use it? Does it do anything you can’t already do with one of its rivals? Yahoo thinks the response is yes because of fresh features such as the capability to unsend messages. (Toasted texts, ahem.)
The product launch could also be one of the most awkwardly timed in latest memory, tho’. Earlier this week, news reports citing anonymous sources said that Yahoo is weighing a selloff of its entire Web products and advertising business, presumably because they’re beyond saving. Then, along comes a major product revamp — about a year in the making. A Yahoo spokeswoman declined to comment on the reports.
For Austin Shoemaker, senior director of product management for Yahoo Messenger, the hope is simply to get the app back on track.
"We already have a Yahoo Messenger in the market that we have not been maintaining actively for the last duo of years," Shoemaker said. "This gets us back in touch with the market."
There’s good reason for that. Messaging has been a battleground for Silicon Valley companies in latest years. Facebook paid $Nineteen billion last year for WhatsApp, the talk service that has exploded in popularity and that, by the way, was co-founded by former Yahoo employees. Other players like Snapchat, with its ephemeral messaging shtick, have also been a massive hit with teenagers and youthfull adults.
Yahoo wouldn’t specify how many people use Messenger other than to say it is has "millions of users."
Yahoo hopes fresh features like unsending messages will attract users.
Very first, people can now unsend messages at any time. That’s a big deal because no other major messaging service lets you do that. Even months after they are sent, you can recall typo-laced messages or photos you regret sending. But the feature could also be a turnoff for people worried with posterity — or for bickering couples who can’t go back to a reliable transcript after an argument. Shoemaker acknowledges that the feature is a "trade-off."
Related Stories
The updated app is also designed to let you send hundreds of pictures at a time, quickly. That’s due to technology Shoemaker developed at Cooliris, the talk startup Yahoo bought last year, bringing him to the company. To speed up the sending process, the service presents you with a low-resolution version of the picture very first, then substitutes it with a higher-resolution one when downloading is accomplish.
The revamp will let you "like" individual messages, as you can do on Facebook and Twitter. The app also lets you rapidly find GIFs to add to messages. Fresh movie features are coming too, Shoemaker said.
This isn’t Yahoo’s only attempt at getting messaging back on track. In July, the company introduced Livetext, a talk app that pursues the zeitgeist of Snapchat. Livetext lets you videoconference with other people, but with text instead of sound. Shoemaker said Livetext and the fresh Yahoo Messenger serve different audiences and will coexist, at least for now.
Yahoo Messenger wants you back
Yahoo Messenger wants you back
Yahoo is revamping its venerable talk service, which was released all the way back in 1998, to attempt to contest with the likes of rookies Snapchat and Facebook-owned WhatsApp.
Internet
Yahoo has revamped Messenger to get "back in touch with the market."
You may know Snapchat, WhatsApp and Google’s Gchat. But do you recall Yahoo Messenger?
It’s the venerable talk service from the bygone era of mate lists and screen names, much like AOL’s Instant Messenger. Introduced in 1998, Yahoo’s service has languished in latest years as fresh talk apps have drawn hum. (To be fair, an informal poll at my office shows that Yahoo Messenger still has fervent users.)
Now Yahoo is hoping the service can make a comeback. The Sunnyvale, California, company released a revamped version of the talk service’s app on Thursday. It’s available on the Web, in Yahoo’s email service, on Apple iPhones and on smartphones powered by Google’s Android mobile software.
The question is, will you want to use it? Does it do anything you can’t already do with one of its rivals? Yahoo thinks the response is yes because of fresh features such as the capability to unsend messages. (Tipsy texts, ahem.)
The product launch could also be one of the most awkwardly timed in latest memory, however. Earlier this week, news reports citing anonymous sources said that Yahoo is weighing a selloff of its entire Web products and advertising business, presumably because they’re beyond saving. Then, along comes a major product revamp — about a year in the making. A Yahoo spokeswoman declined to comment on the reports.
For Austin Shoemaker, senior director of product management for Yahoo Messenger, the hope is simply to get the app back on track.
"We already have a Yahoo Messenger in the market that we have not been maintaining actively for the last duo of years," Shoemaker said. "This gets us back in touch with the market."
There’s good reason for that. Messaging has been a battleground for Silicon Valley companies in latest years. Facebook paid $Nineteen billion last year for WhatsApp, the talk service that has exploded in popularity and that, by the way, was co-founded by former Yahoo employees. Other players like Snapchat, with its ephemeral messaging shtick, have also been a enormous hit with teenagers and youthfull adults.
Yahoo wouldn’t specify how many people use Messenger other than to say it is has "millions of users."
Yahoo hopes fresh features like unsending messages will attract users.
Very first, people can now unsend messages at any time. That’s a big deal because no other major messaging service lets you do that. Even months after they are sent, you can recall typo-laced messages or photos you regret sending. But the feature could also be a turnoff for people worried with posterity — or for bickering couples who can’t go back to a reliable transcript after an argument. Shoemaker acknowledges that the feature is a "trade-off."
Related Stories
The updated app is also designed to let you send hundreds of pictures at a time, quickly. That’s due to technology Shoemaker developed at Cooliris, the talk startup Yahoo bought last year, bringing him to the company. To speed up the sending process, the service presents you with a low-resolution version of the picture very first, then substitutes it with a higher-resolution one when downloading is accomplish.
The revamp will let you "like" individual messages, as you can do on Facebook and Twitter. The app also lets you rapidly find GIFs to add to messages. Fresh movie features are coming too, Shoemaker said.
This isn’t Yahoo’s only attempt at getting messaging back on track. In July, the company introduced Livetext, a talk app that pursues the zeitgeist of Snapchat. Livetext lets you videoconference with other people, but with text instead of sound. Shoemaker said Livetext and the fresh Yahoo Messenger serve different audiences and will coexist, at least for now.
Yahoo Messenger wants you back
Yahoo Messenger wants you back
Yahoo is revamping its venerable talk service, which was released all the way back in 1998, to attempt to rival with the likes of rookies Snapchat and Facebook-owned WhatsApp.
Internet
Yahoo has revamped Messenger to get "back in touch with the market."
You may know Snapchat, WhatsApp and Google’s Gchat. But do you recall Yahoo Messenger?
It’s the venerable talk service from the bygone era of pal lists and screen names, much like AOL’s Instant Messenger. Introduced in 1998, Yahoo’s service has languished in latest years as fresh talk apps have drawn hum. (To be fair, an informal poll at my office shows that Yahoo Messenger still has fervent users.)
Now Yahoo is hoping the service can make a comeback. The Sunnyvale, California, company released a revamped version of the talk service’s app on Thursday. It’s available on the Web, in Yahoo’s email service, on Apple iPhones and on smartphones powered by Google’s Android mobile software.
The question is, will you want to use it? Does it do anything you can’t already do with one of its rivals? Yahoo thinks the response is yes because of fresh features such as the capability to unsend messages. (Toasted texts, ahem.)
The product launch could also be one of the most awkwardly timed in latest memory, however. Earlier this week, news reports citing anonymous sources said that Yahoo is weighing a selloff of its entire Web products and advertising business, presumably because they’re beyond saving. Then, along comes a major product revamp — about a year in the making. A Yahoo spokeswoman declined to comment on the reports.
For Austin Shoemaker, senior director of product management for Yahoo Messenger, the hope is simply to get the app back on track.
"We already have a Yahoo Messenger in the market that we have not been maintaining actively for the last duo of years," Shoemaker said. "This gets us back in touch with the market."
There’s good reason for that. Messaging has been a battleground for Silicon Valley companies in latest years. Facebook paid $Nineteen billion last year for WhatsApp, the talk service that has exploded in popularity and that, by the way, was co-founded by former Yahoo employees. Other players like Snapchat, with its ephemeral messaging shtick, have also been a fat hit with teenagers and youthful adults.
Yahoo wouldn’t specify how many people use Messenger other than to say it is has "millions of users."
Yahoo hopes fresh features like unsending messages will attract users.
Very first, people can now unsend messages at any time. That’s a big deal because no other major messaging service lets you do that. Even months after they are sent, you can recall typo-laced messages or photos you regret sending. But the feature could also be a turnoff for people worried with posterity — or for bickering couples who can’t go back to a reliable transcript after an argument. Shoemaker acknowledges that the feature is a "trade-off."
Related Stories
The updated app is also designed to let you send hundreds of pictures at a time, quickly. That’s due to technology Shoemaker developed at Cooliris, the talk startup Yahoo bought last year, bringing him to the company. To speed up the sending process, the service presents you with a low-resolution version of the picture very first, then substitutes it with a higher-resolution one when downloading is finish.
The revamp will let you "like" individual messages, as you can do on Facebook and Twitter. The app also lets you rapidly find GIFs to add to messages. Fresh movie features are coming too, Shoemaker said.
This isn’t Yahoo’s only attempt at getting messaging back on track. In July, the company introduced Livetext, a talk app that pursues the zeitgeist of Snapchat. Livetext lets you videoconference with other people, but with text instead of sound. Shoemaker said Livetext and the fresh Yahoo Messenger serve different audiences and will coexist, at least for now.
Yahoo Messenger wants you back
Yahoo Messenger wants you back
Yahoo is revamping its venerable talk service, which was released all the way back in 1998, to attempt to contest with the likes of newcomers Snapchat and Facebook-owned WhatsApp.
Yahoo has revamped Messenger to get "back in touch with the market."
You may know Snapchat, WhatsApp and Google’s Gchat. But do you reminisce Yahoo Messenger?
It’s the venerable talk service from the bygone era of pal lists and screen names, much like AOL’s Instant Messenger. Introduced in 1998, Yahoo’s service has languished in latest years as fresh talk apps have drawn hum. (To be fair, an informal poll at my office shows that Yahoo Messenger still has fervent users.)
Now Yahoo is hoping the service can make a comeback. The Sunnyvale, California, company released a revamped version of the talk service’s app on Thursday. It’s available on the Web, in Yahoo’s email service, on Apple iPhones and on smartphones powered by Google’s Android mobile software.
The question is, will you want to use it? Does it do anything you can’t already do with one of its rivals? Yahoo thinks the reaction is yes because of fresh features such as the capability to unsend messages. (Inebriated texts, ahem.)
The product launch could also be one of the most awkwardly timed in latest memory, however. Earlier this week, news reports citing anonymous sources said that Yahoo is weighing a selloff of its entire Web products and advertising business, presumably because they’re beyond saving. Then, along comes a major product revamp — about a year in the making. A Yahoo spokeswoman declined to comment on the reports.
For Austin Shoemaker, senior director of product management for Yahoo Messenger, the hope is simply to get the app back on track.
"We already have a Yahoo Messenger in the market that we have not been maintaining actively for the last duo of years," Shoemaker said. "This gets us back in touch with the market."
There’s good reason for that. Messaging has been a battleground for Silicon Valley companies in latest years. Facebook paid $Nineteen billion last year for WhatsApp, the talk service that has exploded in popularity and that, by the way, was co-founded by former Yahoo employees. Other players like Snapchat, with its ephemeral messaging shtick, have also been a fat hit with teenagers and youthfull adults.
Yahoo wouldn’t specify how many people use Messenger other than to say it is has "millions of users."
Yahoo hopes fresh features like unsending messages will attract users.
Very first, people can now unsend messages at any time. That’s a big deal because no other major messaging service lets you do that. Even months after they are sent, you can recall typo-laced messages or photos you regret sending. But the feature could also be a turnoff for people worried with posterity — or for bickering couples who can’t go back to a reliable transcript after an argument. Shoemaker acknowledges that the feature is a "trade-off."
Related Stories
The updated app is also designed to let you send hundreds of pictures at a time, quickly. That’s due to technology Shoemaker developed at Cooliris, the talk startup Yahoo bought last year, bringing him to the company. To speed up the sending process, the service presents you with a low-resolution version of the picture very first, then substitutes it with a higher-resolution one when downloading is accomplish.
The revamp will let you "like" individual messages, as you can do on Facebook and Twitter. The app also lets you rapidly find GIFs to add to messages. Fresh movie features are coming too, Shoemaker said.
This isn’t Yahoo’s only attempt at getting messaging back on track. In July, the company introduced Livetext, a talk app that pursues the zeitgeist of Snapchat. Livetext lets you videoconference with other people, but with text instead of sound. Shoemaker said Livetext and the fresh Yahoo Messenger serve different audiences and will coexist, at least for now.
Yahoo Messenger wants you back
Yahoo Messenger wants you back
Yahoo is revamping its venerable talk service, which was released all the way back in 1998, to attempt to challenge with the likes of newcomers Snapchat and Facebook-owned WhatsApp.
Internet
Yahoo has revamped Messenger to get "back in touch with the market."
You may know Snapchat, WhatsApp and Google’s Gchat. But do you reminisce Yahoo Messenger?
It’s the venerable talk service from the bygone era of acquaintance lists and screen names, much like AOL’s Instant Messenger. Introduced in 1998, Yahoo’s service has languished in latest years as fresh talk apps have drawn whirr. (To be fair, an informal poll at my office shows that Yahoo Messenger still has fervent users.)
Now Yahoo is hoping the service can make a comeback. The Sunnyvale, California, company released a revamped version of the talk service’s app on Thursday. It’s available on the Web, in Yahoo’s email service, on Apple iPhones and on smartphones powered by Google’s Android mobile software.
The question is, will you want to use it? Does it do anything you can’t already do with one of its rivals? Yahoo thinks the response is yes because of fresh features such as the capability to unsend messages. (Tipsy texts, ahem.)
The product launch could also be one of the most awkwardly timed in latest memory, tho’. Earlier this week, news reports citing anonymous sources said that Yahoo is weighing a selloff of its entire Web products and advertising business, presumably because they’re beyond saving. Then, along comes a major product revamp — about a year in the making. A Yahoo spokeswoman declined to comment on the reports.
For Austin Shoemaker, senior director of product management for Yahoo Messenger, the hope is simply to get the app back on track.
"We already have a Yahoo Messenger in the market that we have not been maintaining actively for the last duo of years," Shoemaker said. "This gets us back in touch with the market."
There’s good reason for that. Messaging has been a battleground for Silicon Valley companies in latest years. Facebook paid $Nineteen billion last year for WhatsApp, the talk service that has exploded in popularity and that, by the way, was co-founded by former Yahoo employees. Other players like Snapchat, with its ephemeral messaging shtick, have also been a big hit with teenagers and youthfull adults.
Yahoo wouldn’t specify how many people use Messenger other than to say it is has "millions of users."
Yahoo hopes fresh features like unsending messages will attract users.
Very first, people can now unsend messages at any time. That’s a big deal because no other major messaging service lets you do that. Even months after they are sent, you can recall typo-laced messages or photos you regret sending. But the feature could also be a turnoff for people worried with posterity — or for bickering couples who can’t go back to a reliable transcript after an argument. Shoemaker acknowledges that the feature is a "trade-off."
Related Stories
The updated app is also designed to let you send hundreds of pictures at a time, quickly. That’s due to technology Shoemaker developed at Cooliris, the talk startup Yahoo bought last year, bringing him to the company. To speed up the sending process, the service presents you with a low-resolution version of the picture very first, then substitutes it with a higher-resolution one when downloading is finish.
The revamp will let you "like" individual messages, as you can do on Facebook and Twitter. The app also lets you rapidly find GIFs to add to messages. Fresh movie features are coming too, Shoemaker said.
This isn’t Yahoo’s only attempt at getting messaging back on track. In July, the company introduced Livetext, a talk app that pursues the zeitgeist of Snapchat. Livetext lets you videoconference with other people, but with text instead of sound. Shoemaker said Livetext and the fresh Yahoo Messenger serve different audiences and will coexist, at least for now.
Yahoo Messenger wants you back
Yahoo Messenger wants you back
Yahoo is revamping its venerable talk service, which was released all the way back in 1998, to attempt to challenge with the likes of new-comers Snapchat and Facebook-owned WhatsApp.
Yahoo has revamped Messenger to get "back in touch with the market."
You may know Snapchat, WhatsApp and Google’s Gchat. But do you reminisce Yahoo Messenger?
It’s the venerable talk service from the bygone era of friend lists and screen names, much like AOL’s Instant Messenger. Introduced in 1998, Yahoo’s service has languished in latest years as fresh talk apps have drawn hum. (To be fair, an informal poll at my office shows that Yahoo Messenger still has fervent users.)
Now Yahoo is hoping the service can make a comeback. The Sunnyvale, California, company released a revamped version of the talk service’s app on Thursday. It’s available on the Web, in Yahoo’s email service, on Apple iPhones and on smartphones powered by Google’s Android mobile software.
The question is, will you want to use it? Does it do anything you can’t already do with one of its rivals? Yahoo thinks the reaction is yes because of fresh features such as the capability to unsend messages. (Toasted texts, ahem.)
The product launch could also be one of the most awkwardly timed in latest memory, tho’. Earlier this week, news reports citing anonymous sources said that Yahoo is weighing a selloff of its entire Web products and advertising business, presumably because they’re beyond saving. Then, along comes a major product revamp — about a year in the making. A Yahoo spokeswoman declined to comment on the reports.
For Austin Shoemaker, senior director of product management for Yahoo Messenger, the hope is simply to get the app back on track.
"We already have a Yahoo Messenger in the market that we have not been maintaining actively for the last duo of years," Shoemaker said. "This gets us back in touch with the market."
There’s good reason for that. Messaging has been a battleground for Silicon Valley companies in latest years. Facebook paid $Nineteen billion last year for WhatsApp, the talk service that has exploded in popularity and that, by the way, was co-founded by former Yahoo employees. Other players like Snapchat, with its ephemeral messaging shtick, have also been a fat hit with teenagers and youthful adults.
Yahoo wouldn’t specify how many people use Messenger other than to say it is has "millions of users."
Yahoo hopes fresh features like unsending messages will attract users.
Very first, people can now unsend messages at any time. That’s a big deal because no other major messaging service lets you do that. Even months after they are sent, you can recall typo-laced messages or photos you regret sending. But the feature could also be a turnoff for people worried with posterity — or for bickering couples who can’t go back to a reliable transcript after an argument. Shoemaker acknowledges that the feature is a "trade-off."
Related Stories
The updated app is also designed to let you send hundreds of pictures at a time, quickly. That’s due to technology Shoemaker developed at Cooliris, the talk startup Yahoo bought last year, bringing him to the company. To speed up the sending process, the service presents you with a low-resolution version of the picture very first, then substitutes it with a higher-resolution one when downloading is finish.
The revamp will let you "like" individual messages, as you can do on Facebook and Twitter. The app also lets you rapidly find GIFs to add to messages. Fresh movie features are coming too, Shoemaker said.
This isn’t Yahoo’s only attempt at getting messaging back on track. In July, the company introduced Livetext, a talk app that pursues the zeitgeist of Snapchat. Livetext lets you videoconference with other people, but with text instead of sound. Shoemaker said Livetext and the fresh Yahoo Messenger serve different audiences and will coexist, at least for now.
Yahoo Messenger wants you back
Yahoo Messenger wants you back
Yahoo is revamping its venerable talk service, which was released all the way back in 1998, to attempt to contest with the likes of new-comers Snapchat and Facebook-owned WhatsApp.
Yahoo has revamped Messenger to get "back in touch with the market."
You may know Snapchat, WhatsApp and Google’s Gchat. But do you reminisce Yahoo Messenger?
It’s the venerable talk service from the bygone era of pal lists and screen names, much like AOL’s Instant Messenger. Introduced in 1998, Yahoo’s service has languished in latest years as fresh talk apps have drawn hum. (To be fair, an informal poll at my office shows that Yahoo Messenger still has fervent users.)
Now Yahoo is hoping the service can make a comeback. The Sunnyvale, California, company released a revamped version of the talk service’s app on Thursday. It’s available on the Web, in Yahoo’s email service, on Apple iPhones and on smartphones powered by Google’s Android mobile software.
The question is, will you want to use it? Does it do anything you can’t already do with one of its rivals? Yahoo thinks the response is yes because of fresh features such as the capability to unsend messages. (Buzzed texts, ahem.)
The product launch could also be one of the most awkwardly timed in latest memory, however. Earlier this week, news reports citing anonymous sources said that Yahoo is weighing a selloff of its entire Web products and advertising business, presumably because they’re beyond saving. Then, along comes a major product revamp — about a year in the making. A Yahoo spokeswoman declined to comment on the reports.
For Austin Shoemaker, senior director of product management for Yahoo Messenger, the hope is simply to get the app back on track.
"We already have a Yahoo Messenger in the market that we have not been maintaining actively for the last duo of years," Shoemaker said. "This gets us back in touch with the market."
There’s good reason for that. Messaging has been a battleground for Silicon Valley companies in latest years. Facebook paid $Nineteen billion last year for WhatsApp, the talk service that has exploded in popularity and that, by the way, was co-founded by former Yahoo employees. Other players like Snapchat, with its ephemeral messaging shtick, have also been a gigantic hit with teenagers and youthful adults.
Yahoo wouldn’t specify how many people use Messenger other than to say it is has "millions of users."
Yahoo hopes fresh features like unsending messages will attract users.
Very first, people can now unsend messages at any time. That’s a big deal because no other major messaging service lets you do that. Even months after they are sent, you can recall typo-laced messages or photos you regret sending. But the feature could also be a turnoff for people worried with posterity — or for bickering couples who can’t go back to a reliable transcript after an argument. Shoemaker acknowledges that the feature is a "trade-off."
Related Stories
The updated app is also designed to let you send hundreds of pictures at a time, quickly. That’s due to technology Shoemaker developed at Cooliris, the talk startup Yahoo bought last year, bringing him to the company. To speed up the sending process, the service presents you with a low-resolution version of the picture very first, then substitutes it with a higher-resolution one when downloading is finish.
The revamp will let you "like" individual messages, as you can do on Facebook and Twitter. The app also lets you rapidly find GIFs to add to messages. Fresh movie features are coming too, Shoemaker said.
This isn’t Yahoo’s only attempt at getting messaging back on track. In July, the company introduced Livetext, a talk app that pursues the zeitgeist of Snapchat. Livetext lets you videoconference with other people, but with text instead of sound. Shoemaker said Livetext and the fresh Yahoo Messenger serve different audiences and will coexist, at least for now.