As its never-quite-as-loved-as-MSN Yahoo Messenger platform lingers on, the web giant has re-entered the burgeoning sector with a Snapchat rival.
Yahoo Livetext, announced today and released tomorrow, allows users to exchange audio-free live video streams with their friends.
However, the unique selling point appears to be the ability to exchange real-time text messages overlaying the video feed, which you can see in the clip below.
The idea, Yahoo says, is to foster an emotional connection when sending and receiving a message, allowing the sender to see the recipient’s reactions in real-time and vise versa.
On the company’s Tumblr blog Arjun Sethi, the Senior Director of Product Management, describes the app as “a new way to communicate that blends the immediacy, simplicity and ease of texting with the expressiveness of video, without the audio.
“We see video as a way to make your conversations more authentic, and we see text as a way to connect that’s quick and non-intrusive.
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Yahoo says the app is ephemeral, like Snapchat, meaning chats and videos are deleted as soon as the exchange has been closed. Both parties will also have to accept the call before any video is exchanged.
The UK and the US will be among the first wave of countries to get the app, when it launches on the App Store and Google Play tomorrow.
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Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.