Along with this update, we took the opportunity to add premium voice out to iPad.

At Yahoo! we are committed to deliver the best-in-class messaging experience. Download the latest version today and let us know what you think. Enjoy!

Yahoo! Messenger Team

You can communicate instantly with your friends on Yahoo! Messenger regardless of what platform or device they are using – Yahoo! Messenger is available for iOS and Android and on multiple devices including PC, mobile phone, iPod Touch, and now iPad.

Check out Yodel Anecdotal for all the details or download the latest version in the iPad App Store.

Happy chatting.

Yahoo! Messenger Team

Yahoo! Messenger users on iPhone can now make free voice and video calls to their Messenger friends, low cost calls to land line or mobile phones—plus get new features like multitasking, instant notifications and free SMS.

With the latest Yahoo! Messenger App for iPhone, you can:

• Video calls: Make video calls and stream live video one-to-one †
• Voice calls: Make free voice calls to your Yahoo! Messenger friends
• Low cost voice calls: Talk to your friends on their land line or mobile phone, and make low cost international calls ††
• Multitask: Work with other iPhone apps while Yahoo! Messenger runs in the background†
• Send free SMS messages via Yahoo! Messenger †††
• Get notified for every message: Know when a new message arrives whether the app is running, in the background, or even if it’s not open
• Show and tell: Capture and share iPhone photos and video in real-time, with your Yahoo! Messenger buddies
• Bring your friends in one place: Add your Windows Live Messenger contacts to your buddy list
• Be creative: Use rich text and personal expressions, like emoticons and avatars, to update your friends
• Enhanced performance: Get a simpler, faster, richer Yahoo! Messenger experience at your fingertips

Here’s a sneak peak of what you can expect!

To accommodate our friends across the globe, we have also extended our language support to include Traditional Chinese, Vietnamese, Bahasa Indonesia, and Romanian.

Download the latest version by 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. Alternatively, click here to download through iTunes.

We hope you will love this latest version as much as we do. Try it today and let us know what you think!

Andreas Nordin

Product Manager, Yahoo! Messenger

†   Available for iPod Touch (4th Generation) and iPhone 3GS/4  users running iOS4.1
†† Available to premium users in select countries
††† Recipients of SMS may be charged by their carriers

Select Yahoo! Messenger for iPhone features are available as follows:
• Video calling: For the optimal experience,  iPod Touch (4th Generation) or iPhone 3GS/4,  iOS 4.1 & WiFi is recommended. Currently supports iPhone-iPhone & iPhone-PC.
• Voice calls to land line or mobile phone: Must be a Yahoo! Voice Phone Out subscriber in these select markets: US, France, Germany, Spain and Singapore
• Multitasking:  Available on iPhone 3GS or iPhone 4, iOS 4.1

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