More about our iPhone app
April 10, 2009 on 9:47 am | In iphone | 41 Comments
Thanks to everyone for their interest in our new Yahoo! Messenger for the iPhone app. I wanted to address some of the questions we’ve been getting from users:
When will the app be available outside the U.S.?
It already is! The U.S. (English) version is now available in all iTunes stores globally. At this time we don’t have plans to offer the app in other languages, but if you want the English version, you can download it through iTunes.
Can I IM my Windows Live Messenger friends from my iPhone?
Unfortunately you will not see your Windows Live Messenger friends in your contact list, so you’ll be unable to IM with them from the app. However, if you have their mobile phone number, you can always send them SMS messages.
Can I send SMS messages?
Yes, you can send free SMS (mobile text) messages from our iPhone app. We support the same countries and carriers for SMS as we do in our desktop program (see the list). To send an SMS message, start a conversation with a friend, then tap the IM icon to the left of the text field. This will toggle the message to SMS. Watch the SMS portion of the demo video
Keep in mind it’s free for you to send SMS messages (and to get back your friend’s replies) but your friends are still subject to any carrier fees on their end for receiving and replying to your messages.
The feature list includes contact search/filtering. Where is that in the app?
If you have a long contact list, your finger may get tired from flicking your way up and down your list to find a friend. To save time, tap the “new message” icon in the upper right corner of the contacts screen (
). Then in the “To:” field, start typing your friend’s name and you will see filtered, matching results from your contact list. Select one and start chatting.
Yahoo! now has several iPhone apps that have Yahoo! Messenger in them. What gives?
Yeah, we know this is a little confusing. Yahoo! released a new Yahoo! Mobile for iPhone app last week that includes search, news, address book, Flickr, social network updates, Yahoo! Messenger and more. However, Messenger is just one component of that app. The Yahoo! Messenger for iPhone app offers more features that are specific to instant messaging. Depending on your needs, you can decide which iPhone app works best for you.
The Yahoo! Messenger for the iPhone application is free and can be downloaded through the iTunes App Store or through the App Store on your iPhone or iPod Touch (search for Yahoo! Messenger).
Sarah Bacon
Product Manager
“Can I IM my Windows Live Messenger friends from my iPhone?
Unfortunately you will not see your Windows Live Messenger friends in your contact list, so you’ll be unable to IM with them from the app.”
Will this be something just for now, and WLM inter-op feature is coming soon? Or, we as users won’t see WLM contacts in the next 6 months or forever?
Comment by Ziru — April 10, 2009 #
thats a great question. Robert Carl Parisien Natick MA i’d like to see this feature as well. Can someone provide an answer?
Comment by Robert Carl Parisien Natick MA — April 10, 2009 #
Ziru – Sorry, we don’t anticipate supporting Windows Live Messenger contacts/conversations in the iPhone app anytime soon. Thanks
Sarah Bacon
Comment by Administrator — April 10, 2009 #
I downloaded this app and it works great! I was jus wondering if contacts could be deleted and blocked?
Comment by Brittany — April 11, 2009 #
I tried this on my iPod touch and frankly, I’m highly pleased with the quality. One of Yahoo!’s finest products yet. Way to go!
Comment by Cliff — April 11, 2009 #
Another FAIL. STOP TRYING.
Comment by Adam — April 11, 2009 #
I just downloaded Messenger yesterday on to my iphone & am having nothing but problems. I’m ’bout ready to delete it. I cannot get it to add contacts, I can’t send messages, only thing I have been able to do is send an SMS. Can anyone help?
Comment by Dan — April 12, 2009 #
Sarah,
Thanks for the information. At the very least, it helps on the decision whether to keep Parlingo on my iPhone or not. The new ymsg for iPhone rocks; I simply cannot turn my back to my WLM contacts just for the new cool features (unless all of them switch to ymsg, which is a decision out of my control). Anyway, I will keep both for now, and use whatever fits my need best.
Ziru
Comment by Ziru — April 13, 2009 #
When can we have a proper Yahoo Messenger client for Linux with voice and video chat ? I am unable to get proper conversations with my friends while using my eeePC.
I certainly do not want to suggest moving my friends on to skype just because Yahoo is not friendly to Linux users.
Comment by Nas — April 13, 2009 #
ohh come on!!! no landscape? this application is useless without landscape. For god’s sakes put landscape in the damn app, are you insane? beejive im pwns this app without landscape
Comment by Gaby — April 14, 2009 #
my wish list are:
+Stay connected/idle for 24 hours
+landscape
+avatar change
+group chat
+games
Comment by Krazzzii — April 14, 2009 #
I used Yahoo Messenger on the iPhone for a couple days over the weekend and it worked great. However, as of yesterday (4/15), I am unable to connect. I log in and the client just shows “Connecting..”. Tried power off reset, delete the app, reinstall… same result. Also tried on another iPhone and same result. Is there a listing of known issues/fixes/workarounds ?
Comment by Nov — April 16, 2009 #
Worked great on my iPhone for the first day. After that it stopped functioning, showing only “Connecting…” with the spinner. Too bad, it was a very usefull app, now just clutter on my iPhone. Any ideas what the issue might be?
Comment by Jeff — April 16, 2009 #
Same thing happened to me. Worked great for a day and that’s it. What is up with that. Is there any way to fix it?
Comment by Kelli — April 16, 2009 #
im having trouble connecting to my app. when i log in under another yahoo id, it works perfectly, but when i use my regular yahoo id it just tries to connect forever. i am able to log on on my desktop…help!!!
Comment by ketechia — April 16, 2009 #
Worked great at first. But now I’m unable to get connected after I log in. Please fix this with a update or another way. Other than that the app is good.
Comment by DH — April 16, 2009 #
Yeah, I’m having the same problems! It just says ‘Connecting’, but doesn’t actually show the friend list. What’s going on?! It’s frustrating. It’s been happening for the past 3 days.
Comment by Billy — April 16, 2009 #
For a few years I’m using Yahoo Messenger for all international calls. Is it any chance that you can add Yahoo voice to IPhone app. Skype already has possibility to make calls over Wifi, but YM has lower international rates. I would be able to save a lot comparing to ATT international roaming rates.
Comment by alex — April 16, 2009 #
Yep same problem, worked great on April 14th when I downloaded it, after a day it was dead…tried 3G/EDGE/WIFI nothing. Other IM apps such as palringo work well. You should release a bugfix or do something real quick before you make this app look like a useless well-designed nothingness
Comment by Christian — April 17, 2009 #
I accidently pressed restart, and like all my data was erased on the app, my data is still saved onto the desktop version, but I can’t get my contacts or anything back onto my app. Any help please?
Comment by Erick — April 17, 2009 #
Yep same problem, worked great when i downloaded it and I loved it, now all it does is say connecting and it NEVER does. WTH?!?! Fix it please!
Comment by Madi — April 17, 2009 #
Same thing..installed App, worked fine for a day or so (iPhone) now all it does is say “connecting”. This SUCKS! This could be a great application if you could fix this.
Comment by Dewayne — April 17, 2009 #
same problem here, the app is stuck at connecting… no contact list is displayed. pliz yahoo release an update fixing this issue coz i love this app!!
Comment by juacali — April 18, 2009 #
I am having same problem – worked perfectly for a few days now just spins and spins saying connecting and never does. Would LOVE to be able to use this app – please provide a FIX or update!!
Comment by Lynne — April 18, 2009 #
Weird! i got an iphone and another for my wife. my Y! account logins smoothly on both device, while my wife’s acct’s not! It seems that the problem is not the app but a specific setting in the account…if somebody knew the fix…he’ll surely be a hero!!!
Comment by Galang — April 18, 2009 #
We haven’t heard anything from Yahoo! What is going on? Please update us! Is it going to be fixed? If so, when?
Comment by Billy — April 19, 2009 #
Same exact problem happened to me. Have been trying to connect all day long today, 4/19. It only worked for one day as well. I’d like to be notified whenever they fix this glitch.
Comment by Elina — April 19, 2009 #
Same issue for me. “Connecting” but never connecting! Hopefully something will be done soon, before we lose hope. That said, I think it’s a great little app and it could develop to something awesome with the new capabilities of the iPhone 3.0 update in summer. Maybe the new iPhone hardware with forward facing camera will allow webcam use in Messenger one day?? Haha…I can dream, right?
Cheers to the Yahoo staff.
Comment by Ryan — April 20, 2009 #
I am having the same problem being unable to connect and getting the continuous ‘Connecting…’ error. It worked great for about the first five days and then this started happening. The odd thing is that it only happens with one of my Yahoo IDs. I use two separate ID’s (work and home) and I can connect with one but the other stopped working.
Comment by Joe — April 21, 2009 #
I am having the same problem being unable to connect and getting the continuous ‘Connecting.
WTF is this ? all my friends accounts work exect mine ,at this point im very frustate
Comment by true — April 21, 2009 #
I received the following response from Yahoo today regarding this issue:
Yahoo! does not provide email technical support for Yahoo! Messenger app
for iPhone. There are two places to get help with your technical issues.
The first is our help pages – we have troubleshooting steps, how-to’s
and general information there:
help.yahoo.com
If you can’t find your answer there, millions of people each day are
able to get their answers directly from the Yahoo! user community on
Yahoo! Answers. That link is:
answers.yahoo.com
Thank you again for contacting Yahoo! Mobile.
Thanks a FRIGGEN lot.
Comment by Joe — April 22, 2009 #
Same problem here. Worked for a few days and now I just get the ‘connecting” message. Deleted, redownloaded, reinstalled. Same thing. I switched to the IM+ Lite app and it works just fine (also free).
Using iPhone 3G.
Comment by Pat — April 23, 2009 #
Come on guys, why no integration with MSN? Then the app would really be useful but right now 50% of my contacts are not on my iPhone
Comment by Tino — April 23, 2009 #
How about just making it work..period??
Comment by Pat — April 23, 2009 #
THIS APP SUCKS!!! YAHOO, YOU SUCK. FIX THE DAMN CONNECTION PROBLEM OR AT LEAST TELL US WHAT IS GOING ON!!!!
Comment by Joe — April 26, 2009 #
The app is working fine, but unfortunately as mentioned before, by not providing the WLM contacts in the iPhone app means an inconsistency in my contact list within Yahoo!, you have to log out from your desktop messenger/web messenger to log in on the iPhone. While I have everyone on webmessenger isn’t it possible to have WLM contacts on my iPhone? Back to Nimbuzz for now…
When will be the Yahoo! all in one app be available internationally?
Comment by Mike — May 7, 2009 #
I cant add contacts
Comment by Ben — May 7, 2009 #
This app is not as good as other IM apps. Why? It doesn’t search your Yahoo contacts like Yahoo on your desktop does to automatically find Yahoo chat contacts. On this app you have to manually add them! What a pain!
Comment by Big Willie — July 19, 2009 #
I installed the new version of yahoo messenger 1.2.1 on my iphone over the old version which worked fine and now i can’t see all my contacts or anything..so i hit reset and lost it completly. any help please? i need the old version back. but it still works on my laptop thank God..i would like to use it on my phone tho
Comment by Reeta — August 1, 2009 #
Why doesn’t the iPhone app have group chat but the blackberry app does that makes no sense to me.
Comment by Steph kern — January 31, 2010 #
If you want to see Windows Messenger contacts as well as your Yahoo IM contacts, use IM+. It shows both. Not sure why Yahoo can’t figure out a way to do what another app can do using Yahoo IM.
Comment by gordon edwards — March 15, 2010 #