14 DAY TRIAL // One of the big new features in the latest Yahoo Messenger 11, still in beta, is the Facebook integration. This is part of a broader strategy at Yahoo and the company is taking it one step further now by enabling users to send and receive Facebook chat messages via SMS. This added flexibility means that you can always connect with your Facebook friends, even if you don't have an internet connection or your phone is not 'smart.'
"For users who are already using the latest Yahoo! Messenger Beta on your PC, you can continue chatting with Facebook friends once you log out of your desktop client," Yahoo's Nitu Choudhary wrote.
"You can send and receive messages from your Facebook friends in real-time via SMS," the announcement read.
The idea is to give you the option to stay connected even if you're not on your computer. Of course, many phones today are more than capable of running a mobile version of Yahoo Messenger, however, there are occasions when you may not have a reliable data connection or don't want to use up data traffic.
There are some prerequisites for using the SMS chat feature. You have to be running the latest Yahoo Messenger 11 Beta. You also need to link your Facebook account to your Yahoo one, if you haven't already. Finally you need to register your phone.
"Now when you log out of your desktop Messenger, you will be automatically logged into your mobile device. Any messages sent by your Facebook friends will be forwarded to your mobile device and appear in your phone’s SMS inbox. Reply to the SMS message, and your message will be sent back to your Facebook friends. It’s that simple," Yahoo explained.
Yahoo Messenger 11 Beta has been out for a few months now and it should be getting closer to a final release. It comes with Facebook integration, enabling you to chat with Facebook friends, but also the possibility to publish status updates on Facebook, Twitter and, of course, Yahoo.
Yahoo Messenger 11 Beta for Windows is available for download here.