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Yahoo Messenger

From Alfawiki
Yahoo! Messenger
Company typeInstant messaging service
IndustryInternet, instant messaging
PredecessorYahoo! Pager
FoundedMarch 9, 1998; 28 years ago (1998-03-09)
FounderYahoo!
DefunctJuly 17, 2018 (2018-07-17)
FateDiscontinued
SuccessorYahoo! Together
Headquarters
Sunnyvale, California
,
United States
Area served
Worldwide
OwnerYahoo!

Yahoo! Messenger (Y!M) was an instant messaging application and protocol created by Yahoo!. It was available at no cost through a universal "Yahoo ID," granting users access to various Yahoo! services, including Yahoo! Mail.

This platform supported features such as VoIP calls, file sharing, webcam broadcasting, text chats, and organized chat rooms. On Microsoft Windows, it offered exclusive functionalities like IMVironments—customizable chat windows with licensed themes including Garfield and Dilbert—alongside address book synchronization and Custom Status Messages. Yahoo! Messenger was also the pioneer among major IM clients to introduce BUZZing and music-status capabilities.

Emerging from Yahoo! Chat, a public chat room service, the software initially launched as Yahoo! Pager on March 9, 1998, before being renamed Yahoo! Messenger in 1999. Throughout the 2000s, it remained one of the leading instant messaging platforms. A revamped version of Yahoo! Messenger was released in 2015, replacing the original client which was discontinued in 2016. However, this new iteration was itself discontinued on July 17, 2018, after operating for less than three years.

Yahoo! Pager

Yahoo! Pager debuted on March 9, 1998, as an instant messaging client integrated with Yahoo!'s suite of services such as Yahoo! Chat. It provided fundamental messaging features including a buddy list with status indicators, user blocking options, online notifications, and alerts for new Yahoo! Mail messages. The application was rebranded as Yahoo! Messenger in 2000.

Versions 5 to 8

The release of version 5.0 in November 2001 introduced IMVironments, which allowed users to share music and Flash Video clips during conversations. Collaborations included the band Garbage promoting their single "Androgyny" and themed IMVironments based on Monsters, Inc., Super Smash Bros. Melee, and Hello Kitty.

In August 2002, version 5.5 enhanced video calling capabilities to a resolution of 320x240 at 20 frames per second, improving upon the previous standard of 160x120 at 1 fps. Beginning in October 2002, Yahoo! introduced a secure IM client designed for corporate use called Yahoo! Messenger Enterprise Edition; it officially launched in 2003 with an annual subscription fee of $30.

Version 6.0 arrived in May 2004 with added features such as games, music sharing, photo support, integration with Yahoo! Search, stealth mode functionality, and the launch of Yahoo! Avatars. The August 2005 release of version 7.0, rebranded as Yahoo! Messenger with Voice, incorporated VoIP services, voicemail capabilities, drag-and-drop file transfer, and connections to Yahoo! 360° and LAUNCHcast, positioning it as a rival to Skype.

On October 12, 2005, Yahoo! partnered with Microsoft to enable interoperability between Yahoo! Messenger and MSN Messenger (later Windows Live Messenger), permitting users to communicate across platforms and exchange emoticons and contact lists. This cross-compatibility became available in Yahoo! Messenger with Voice version 8.0 in July 2006. Version 8.1 restored the original name: Yahoo! Messenger.

From 2006 onward, Yahoo sought to develop a web-based interface for Messenger featuring chat history integration within Yahoo! Mail. Although initial integration was limited in scope, a standalone Adobe Flex-based web messenger launched in 2007 offered users the ability to archive conversations directly within the web client itself.

Web edition and subsequent updates

During the Consumer Electronics Show in January 2007, Yahoo! unveiled Yahoo! Messenger tailored for Windows Vista, designed specifically utilizing the Windows Presentation Foundation (WPF) framework. After an initial beta preview, this version was officially launched on December 6, 2007, but support ended by October 24, 2008.

In May 2007, Yahoo! introduced Yahoo! Messenger for the Web, a browser-based solution aimed at broadening user access.

The release of Yahoo! Messenger 9 in September 2008 brought integration with YouTube and other Yahoo! services such as Flickr, enriching the user experience. This version also debuted Pingbox, a feature that allowed visitors to websites to send anonymous instant messages without needing software installation or login credentials. Version 10, arriving in November 2009, delivered bug fixes alongside enhanced high-definition video calling functionality.

The last significant Windows client update was version 11, launched in 2011, which incorporated connectivity with Facebook, Twitter, and Zynga. This enabled conversations with Facebook friends and gameplay within Zynga titles directly through the app. Additionally, it provided online message archiving accessible from within the client interface. The subsequent update, version 11.5 released in November 2011, introduced tabbed instant messaging to improve usability.

New Yahoo Messenger

In December 2015, Yahoo! released a completely redeveloped Messenger application initially available on mobile devices and web browsers. A desktop iteration followed soon after, preceding the discontinuation of the original Messenger on August 5, 2016; all versions ceased operation by August 31, 2016.

Despite attempts at modernization, this new iteration did not reclaim its previous market share. As a result, Yahoo! declared the service would terminate on July 18, 2018, directing users toward its group messaging platform named Squirrel.

Mobile editions

Yahoo! Messenger’s mobile versions first appeared on Palm OS and Windows CE devices. By March 2000, it was pre-installed on Palm handhelds. A partnership with Verizon Wireless in 2001 made it available to their customers, and it was also accessible via Sprint's MiniBrowser. In 2004, a version was launched specifically for the T-Mobile Sidekick II. Later releases targeted platforms such as Symbian (through Yahoo! Go), BlackBerry, and iPhone (from April 2009).

Yahoo! Messenger for SMS enabled users to send instant messages via text messaging. By January 2014, the iOS application supported voice and video calls on compatible devices, while the Android app offered beta support for these features.

Yahoo! Together

Yahoo! Together was a free and cross-platform messaging app developed by Yahoo! for both Android and iOS users. Initially launched in beta under the name Yahoo! Squirrel on May 8, 2018, it was intended as a successor to Yahoo! Messenger and Verizon Media's AOL Instant Messenger. It was rebranded as Yahoo! Together in October 2018. Designed primarily for families and general consumers rather than business users, it drew frequent comparisons to Slack. Despite this focus, Yahoo! Together was discontinued less than a year after its beta release and was taken offline on April 4, 2019.

Group conversations (Yahoo! Chat)

Yahoo! Chat was introduced on January 7, 1997, as a complimentary chat room service available solely to Yahoo! members. Functioning as a distinct segment within Yahoo!, it was later incorporated into Yahoo! Pager in 1998, allowing participants to establish public chat rooms, exchange private messages, and utilize emoticons.

At its inception, Yahoo! Chat garnered millions of users worldwide and collaborated with NBC and NewsCorp to host moderated Chat Events. These sessions expanded into broadcast collaborations with over 100 partners, organizing more than 350 events monthly. Among the most prominent were live chats with the band Hanson in 1998—then the largest live online event—as well as conversations featuring Beatles members and astronaut John Glenn. Despite these achievements, Yahoo! ceased Chat Events in 2001, foregoing early opportunities in social media growth.

In June 2005, Yahoo! took the sudden step of disabling user-generated chat rooms after reports emerged of rooms facilitating pedophilic content. This action prompted key advertisers such as Pepsi and Georgia-Pacific to pull their advertisements, highlighting a heightened emphasis on protecting brand reputation.

On November 30, 2012, Yahoo revealed plans to terminate public chat rooms effective December 14, 2012, with the objective of concentrating efforts on updating core services and creating new products.

Following this decision, the chat.yahoo.com portal was closed since most users accessed chat through Messenger. While Yahoo! explored options to reintroduce user-created rooms with improved abuse prevention measures, this capability was ultimately removed by the release of Yahoo! Messenger version 11.

Games

Users could challenge contacts by launching various games and applications directly from the chat interface via the games icon; these required Java support to operate. However, as of April 18, 2014, all games were eliminated from Yahoo! Messenger.

Doodle

Doodle was an integrated feature within Yahoo! Messenger that permitted users to sketch drawings during conversations, adding a creative layer beyond text and emoticons. Supporting group chats with multiple participants, Doodle helped establish Yahoo! Messenger’s reputation as an innovator in online communication tools.

Plug-ins

The introduction of version 8.0 brought plug-in functionality, allowing users to develop and host plug-ins within Yahoo chat rooms. Among these was the now-discontinued Yahoo! Music Radio plug-in, which provided access to free and paid Internet radio streams along with playback controls such as play, pause, skip, and song rating directly inside the messenger window.

Protocol

The proprietary Yahoo! Messenger Protocol (YMSG) served as the foundation for client-server communication within Yahoo!'s Instant Messaging network. Unlike open protocols like HTTP, YMSG remained a closed standard exclusive to Yahoo!'s ecosystem. Comparable messaging platforms employ their own protocols—some proprietary and others open-source—to perform similar functions using different technical approaches.

A fundamental aspect of instant messaging is presence detection, enabling users to view who is online. YMSG managed this by maintaining a persistent network connection between the client application and Yahoo!'s IM servers, continuously signaling user availability through this active link.

URI scheme

During installation, Yahoo! Messenger configured a uniform resource identifier (URI) scheme handler for the Yahoo! Messenger Protocol in select web browsers. This enabled URIs prefixed with ymsgr to launch a new Yahoo! Messenger window performing designated tasks. Functioning similarly to the mailto URI scheme, it allowed users to send messages directly from web pages. For instance, a hyperlink could trigger a message window addressed to user exampleuser:

<a href="ymsgr:sendim?exampleuser">Send Message</a>

The m parameter was used to define the message text, such as ymsgr:sendim?exampleuser&m=This+is+my+message. Additional commands included:

  • ymsgr:addfriend?yahooid
  • ymsgr:sendfile?yahooid
  • ymsgr:call?yahooid
  • ymsgr:callPhone?phonenumber
  • ymsgr:im – opens the "Send an IM" interface
  • ymsgr:customstatus?A+custom+status – modifies the status message
  • ymsgr:getimv?imvname – loads an IMVironment, such as doodle or yfighter

Interoperability

On October 13, 2005, Yahoo and Microsoft revealed their intention to enable interoperability between Yahoo! Messenger and Windows Live Messenger, collectively serving approximately 40% of the global real-time communication market. This initiative came after years of third-party clients like Trillian and Pidgin facilitating cross-network messaging, despite ongoing criticism regarding network exclusivity. Microsoft also sought interoperability with AOL, but AOL declined the proposal.

The integration between Yahoo! Messenger and Windows Live Messenger officially launched on July 12, 2006. It allowed users on both platforms to communicate without needing separate accounts, provided they used the latest versions of their respective clients. However, voice chat functionality was not supported across the two services.

This cross-platform compatibility ceased on December 14, 2012; at that time, Windows Live Messenger contacts appeared offline and messaging capabilities were disabled.

Yahoo! Messenger was accessible through several third-party clients, including:


Usage

By August 2000, Yahoo! Messenger had amassed approximately 10.6 million users in the United States, a figure comparable to MSN Messenger but trailing behind AOL Instant Messenger. By September 2001, the network had facilitated over five billion instant messages sent—a growth of 115% compared to the previous year. In August 2002, Yahoo! commanded a 16.7% share of the U.S. instant messaging market, behind MSN’s 24.1% and AIM’s 28.3%.

In April 2002, Yahoo! Messenger reported having 19.1 million users within the U.S., while global users numbered around 12 million that year, increasing to 22 million by March 2006. The service was particularly favored among certain energy trading professionals until its discontinuation in August 2016.

At the time of its shutdown in 2018, Yahoo! Messenger retained significant popularity in Vietnam.

Criticism

Users of Yahoo! Messenger frequently encountered unwanted messages, commonly known as SPIM. Yahoo's primary approach to address this issue involved removing these messages and adding the offending senders to an Ignore List. By 2007, automated bots represented at least three-quarters of participants in Yahoo chat rooms. In an effort to reduce spam, Yahoo implemented CAPTCHA verification systems; however, these measures proved only marginally effective against persistent spammers.

Security

On November 4, 2014, the Electronic Frontier Foundation assigned Yahoo! Messenger a score of 1 out of 7 on its "Secure Messaging Scorecard." The platform received credit solely for encrypting data during transmission but lacked several key security features, including end-to-end encryption, verification of user identities, forward secrecy, availability of open-source code, publicly documented security architecture, and recent independent security evaluations.

Between 2008 and 2010, the British intelligence agency GCHQ’s Optic Nerve initiative, alongside the NSA, harvested still images from millions of Yahoo webcam streams. These snapshots were captured approximately every five minutes to support facial recognition databases.

In September 2016, The New York Times disclosed that Yahoo’s security team, under the leadership of Alex Stamos from 2014 to 2015, pushed for implementing end-to-end encryption. However, senior vice president Jeff Bonforte opposed this move to maintain Yahoo’s capability to index and search message content for developing new user services.

See also

External links

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