Very recently we learned of an issue where some users have received spam messages in Yahoo! Messenger from their contact list. Yahoo! Messenger has quickly worked to resolve the situation.

As always, we recommend that any Yahoo! Messenger user who receives a suspicious IM containing a link should first IM the friend to ensure the message is legitimate before moving forward. We strongly advise users to not download executable (.exe) files that are sent through Yahoo! Messenger. Also, we recommend that users that have anti-virus software on their computer employ the latest anti-virus updates.

Thyaga Vasudevan
Product Manager

In an effort to maintain our high quality and security standards, we will officially retire the Yahoo! Messenger version 1.0 for iPhone and iPod Touch on June 15th, 2010. This means that if you are currently using this version on your iPhone or iPod Touch, then you will no longer be able to sign in and use it after the retirement date of June 15th, 2010.

We have put together some commonly asked questions that should answer most of your questions.

1. Which iPhone/iPod Touch products are going to start the end-of-life process?

Yahoo! Messenger Version 1.0 for the iPhone & iPod Touch will be end-of-lifed on June 15^th. That means starting June 15^th you will not be able to sign in into Messenger using this version 1.0 app.

2. Why is the above product version being end-of-lifed?

Version 1.0 was our first Yahoo! Messenger release on the App Store. Since then, over the course of the year, we have added many useful features that provide you a much better experience on the device.

3. How do I know if the app that I am using is being end-of-lifed?

There are a couple of different ways you will know if you are using an app that is being end-of-lifed:

      1. You will receive a system IM from Yahoo which will notify you about the end of life plans. If you received such a message you are probably using a version that is being end of lifed.

      2. You could alternatively check the version of your app by tapping on the settings tab in your app and looking for the version information in the “About” section. If the version says 1.0 then your app is being end-of-lifed and you will need to upgrade.

4. If I am using the version that is being end-of-lifed, what version of the product should I upgrade to?

There are two ways you can upgrade to the latest version:

      1. Tapping the App Store icon on your iPhone and search for Yahoo! Messenger (you may also see an update alert on your App Store icon)
      2. Or click here to download it through iTunes.

The latest version requires your device to have iPhone OS 3.0 or newer. If you already have the right OS then you can simply follow the above steps. Otherwise you will first need to upgrade your device to a newer OS. You can find more about that here. Once you have upgraded your device, you can come back and follow the steps above.

5. What are some benefits of upgrading to the latest version?

There are a lot of cool features we added since we launched our first version. These features will significantly improve your Yahoo! Messenger experience. It will be difficult to list all of them but here are a few that were most requested by our users:

• New Message alerts (Push Notifications)
  • We’ve taken advantage of Apple’s 3.0 push notifications platform to enable new message notifications. Now, you will be notified when a new IM comes to your iPhone, even if the Yahoo! Messenger app is closed (or your phone is asleep).
• Stay online for up to 2 weeks
  • The Yahoo! Messenger for iPhone app will keep you signed in and visible to your Yahoo! Messenger friends for up to two weeks. When the app is closed on your phone, your status will show you as online but in an Idle state. Friends can IM you and when they do, you’ll receive a new message notification as described above.
• The ability to chat with your Windows Live contacts
• And many more.

If you had any further questions or comments, please feel free to leave them in the comments area.

Thyaga Vasudevan
Product Manager

The iPad is the latest and probably the grandest entry to the world of Tablet computers – 9.7-inch display, half-inch thick, and weighing in at just a pound and a half. It runs the iPhone OS on it so all the same apps you use on your iPhone, like Yahoo! Messenger for iPhone, will be available for the iPad. Please try it out and let us know if you face any issues.

Talking about iPad Apps, Yahoo! introduced the Yahoo! Entertainment for iPad on Saturday. Some of you may have even downloaded this app over the weekend. This has wowed both consumers and press alike. TechCrunch has voted it as one of the best iPad apps.  Using editorialized, real-time content, this Yahoo! Entertainment App surfaces and recommends TV shows, entertainment news, TV listings, book reviews, and a wide variety of popular videos from across the Web. Read more on the Yahoo! Entertainment Blog.

Do you plan to buy an iPad in future? – if you have already bought one, then which is your favorite App? – as always, please feel free to leave your comments.

Thyaga Vasudevan
Product Manager

Now when you’re on your iPhone, your Windows Live friends will be able to see when you’re online, and send and receive messages from them. You can also add new Windows Live friends right from the app.

In addition to supporting Windows Live conversations, we also added more languages in a prior release. Those of you who speak French, German, Italian, and Spanish can enjoy Yahoo! Messenger for iPhone in your native tongue.

If your iPhone is set to one of those four languages, Yahoo! Messenger for iPhone will detect that automatically and load the same language.

To download the new version, tap the App Store icon on your iPhone and search for Yahoo! Messenger (you may also see an update alert on your App Store icon). Or click here to download it through iTunes.

We hope you enjoy this latest version. If you have any technical issues with Yahoo! Messenger for iPhone, please send us feedback by tapping on “Settings”, then scrolling down and tapping on “Report Problem”.

Thyaga Vasudevan
Product Manager

The iPad is essentially a giant iPhone – 9.7-inch display, half-inch thick, and weighing in at just a pound and a half. It runs the iPhone OS on it so all the same apps you use on your iPhone, like Yahoo! Messenger for iPhone, will be available for the iPad. And several of the native apps like Mail and Calendar have been redesigned for the larger screen.

Read more about the iPad at Yahoo! Tech

One feature that’s missing: a built-in camera. Even the iPhone has one. I was envisioning video calls on the iPad or being able to broadcast live video from it. Perhaps Apple will add one in a future release but some are wondering, could no camera be an iPad killer?

Do you plan to buy an iPad when it comes out? Take the poll below or leave a comment.

Sarah Bacon
Product Manager

We came back from break and found there was a huge spike in downloads of our Yahoo! Messenger for iPhone app over the holidays.

Did you get a new iPhone recently? If yes, how are you enjoying your new phone?

If you’ve tried Yahoo! Messenger for iPhone, what do you think of it? Is there anything you would you like to see added or changed?

Sarah Bacon
Product Manager

While you’re in a conversation, tap on the emoticon icon to bring up the message options. Tap on the Media tab where you can choose to take a new photo or video clip, or choose an existing one from your photo gallery.

Your friend will receive a notification that you’re sharing a file with them, and after the file finishes transferring, you’ll see a confirmation on your phone. At anytime while the file is sending, you can tap on the speech bubble to view it.

Friends can also IM you videos (.mov, .mp4), and photos when you’re on your iPhone. When a new file is coming in, you’ll see a message asking if you want to accept or decline the incoming file transfer. Accept it, wait for the download and then just tap the speech bubble to view the image right in the app.

A handy thing about this new feature is that it allows you to send and receive files up to 15MB in size. So when you video your baby’s first steps on your phone, you can instantly send it off to friends and family on IM. And best of all, it won’t count against your data plan the way MMS messages do.

Sarah Bacon
Product Manager

With this new version, we added one of the most frequently requested features from our users – the ability to change your display image right in the iPhone app. Use an existing photo that is stored on your iPhone or take a new one. To change your display image, tap on Settings, then “My Contact Details”.

We also fixed some bugs that were causing display image update problems. So now when your friend updates their display image, it will change in your contact list as well. You no longer need to sign out and back in to get display image updates.

The file sharing feature also got a nice boost. Now you can IM both photo and videos that are stored on your iPhone. You can also receive and view photos, videos (.mov, .mp4), Microsoft Office documents (.doc, .ppt, .xls), .txt files, and PDF files from within the Yahoo! Messenger app. Note that you can only receive those additional types of files, not send. When sending and receiving, the maximum file size is 15MB, which is much larger than the limits of MMS.

This update also includes new language support for French, Italian, German and Spanish. If your iPhone uses one of those languages, your Yahoo! Messenger app will as well after you download this latest version.

To help combat IM spam when you’re on your iPhone, we also added a preference that allows you to ignore messages from people that are not on your Yahoo! Messenger contact list. To set this preference, tap on the Settings icon and look for “Privacy” in the Options section. The preference is turned off by default, so if you want to ignore people not on your list, be sure to go into Preferences and update the setting after you install this latest version.

To download the new version, tap the App Store icon on your iPhone and search for Yahoo! Messenger (you may also see an update alert on your App Store icon). Or click here to download it through iTunes.

We hope your enjoy this latest version. If you have any technical issues with Yahoo! Messenger for iPhone, please send us feedback by tapping on “Settings”, then scrolling down and tapping on “Report Problem”.

Sarah Bacon
Product Manager

To download the latest version of Yahoo! Messenger for iPhone (v1.2.3) that includes this update, go to the iTunes App Store or tap the App Store icon on your iPhone and search for Yahoo! Messenger. If you already have Yahoo! Messenger installed, you may also have an update alert for the app.

Sarah Bacon
Product Manager

Based on your helpful input, we’ve made lots of updates to this version which is now available in the iPhone App Store. Here’s what’s new / changed:

No more Idle status
Now when you exit the Yahoo! Messenger app on your iPhone but are still signed in, you’ll show as available to your friends rather than Idle. We agreed – showing up as idle didn’t make great sense since you want people to IM you.

Buzz got better
Ok, not every feature off the blocks is perfect and this one took some tweaking. In this version we’ve refined the Buzz notification sound and added a preference to turn Buzz on or off in the event you don’t want to use it (under Settings).

We also added vibrating notifications when you send or receive a Buzz. And if you’re in a conversation with someone and another friend buzzes you, you’ll see a notice on the screen.

New notification sound
Oh your bleeding ears! We heard you didn’t like the new IM notification sound so we changed it up a bit. Karl the engineer describes it as “shorter and prettier”. We hope you agree.

Fixed the address book integration
The iPhone address book integration faltered in our last version so we fixed it in 1.2.2. Now when you’re composing a new SMS for example, you’ll be able to access numbers in your iPhone address book, not just in Yahoo! Messenger.

We also tweaked a few things to address some bugs, crash and login issues.

To download the latest version of Yahoo! Messenger for iPhone (v1.2.2) that includes these updates, go to the iTunes App Store or tap the App Store icon on your iPhone and search for Yahoo! Messenger. If you already have Yahoo! Messenger installed, you may also have an update alert for the app.

As always, please use the Report Problem feature in the app if you run into any issues. You’ll find it under “Settings” in the Yahoo! Messenger for iPhone app.

Sarah Bacon
Product Manager