Yahoo’s Livetext is a silent texting app with video

Jul 30, 2015 13:30 GMT  ·  By

Yahoo didn’t make a big fuss about it, but earlier this month, the company launched its video messaging app Livetext in Hong Kong and Taiwan. And this week, Yahoo has announced that the iOS and Android versions of the app have become available to download in the US, Canada, Germany, France, and the UK.

If you haven’t heard of Livetext until now, this is actually Yahoo’s attempt at reviving its Messenger app. Everyone was using the application 10 years ago, but today, with the advent of services like WhatsApp and Viber, users are spending less and less time on Yahoo Messenger.

But while in Messenger the focus was on sending out text messages, in Livetext things are a bit different, as the app is built around livestreamed video. And there’s a pretty big caveat to be taken into consideration - there’s no audio.

Still, it appears that the feature in question will not be missed, as Yahoo says it has conducted some heavy market research with teens to find out what they are missing in other messaging apps. Apparently, sound isn’t one of them.

Livetext is a video texting app

So what does Livetext offer basically? Users will be able to share videos one-on-one, but not in groups. You’ll also be able to add text on top of the video to convey your emotions about what’s happening in the clip. It’s something like Skype, a variation of it that doesn’t disturb people in your vicinity.

Livetext doesn’t work by virtue of “calling.” You just “send” out the video and you’ll be notified when the recipient replies. Yahoo won’t hold on to the chat history and video, so once the interaction between people is over, everything disappears into thin air.

What Yahoo is probably trying to do here is turn simple conversations (texting) into more interesting experiences. Sure, most messaging apps let you add emoticons and why not to spice up the conversation, but with smartphones being so widespread nowadays and shooting video being so easy, video texting might soon turn into a big deal. At least Yahoo hopes it will and is betting on teens’ addiction to mobile technology to achieve this.

Livetext focuses on video messaging

Yahoo Livetext app gets announced (3 Images)

Livetext app is now available in more countries
Livetext for iOSLivetext focuses on video messaging
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