Handy Mobile Features for Yahoo! Messenger
February 2, 2007 on 10:10 am | In Mobile | 65 Comments
I decided to blog about our mobile features because I’ve found that many of our users don’t know about them. I use the SMS feature a lot when I’m trying to reach friends on their mobile. It’s much easier for me to type a mobile text message (SMS) into an IM window than fumble around on my phone’s tiny dial pad. And if you like to be available to your friends, even when you’re away from your PC, you’ll love the “Sign out to Mobile” feature.
Save your thumbs – SMS from Messenger
If you know a friend’s mobile number, you can send the person text messages (SMS) right from Messenger for free. (Your friend will be charged any applicable fees by his or her carrier for receiving the SMS message.) To send an SMS, type your friend’s name or mobile phone number into the contact search box, and choose “Send SMS” from the drop-down menu. (You can also right click on a contact and choose “Send an SMS Message.”) Type your message in the IM window and click “Send.” When your friend replies, the message will come back to you in Messenger.
Stay available from your mobile phone
When I sign out of Messenger at night, I sign out to my mobile phone. This shows me as available to my friends but with the status message “I’m mobile” next to my name. If a friend IM’s me from Messenger, the message is forwarded to my phone as an SMS message. (You’ll be charged any applicable fees by your carrier for receiving the SMS message.)
To activate IM forwarding, start by registering your mobile phone. Then the next time you want to sign out of Messenger, click the Messenger menu and choose the “Sign in to [your mobile #]” option.
There are other ways to use Messenger on your mobile phone too. Many phones have Yahoo! Messenger pre-installed, and all you have to do is sign in with your Yahoo! ID and password. It’s typically free to sign in, and each message is billed as an SMS message. (SMS charges can vary by carrier; please check with your carrier.)
If you don’t have the Yahoo! Messenger application already on your phone, you can always use your mobile browser to go to yahoo.com and select Messenger.
Sarah Bacon
Product Manager
