Yahoo has shut down its original Messenger desktop client. Users will no longer be able to log into their accounts using the legacy client.
The web-based version of messenger will still be accessible through a browser, and the app will also still work for Android and Apple phones and tablets and there’s a new messenger app for Windows.
The new desktop app is similar to other messaging apps and offers more “social” functions like the ability to like posts and images and to use GIFs and stickers to jazz up your messages.
Users will also be able to share high-resolution photos.
You’ll no longer be able to tell when contacts are online, but you can message them while offline and it will be delivered to them when they log on.
You’ll see that you existing conversation history is missing, but Yahoo says it plans to make an archive of your saved conversation history available soon. This new version of Yahoo Messenger is not compatible with 3rd Party clients.
Yahoo’s Messenger desktop app has been around since 1998 but has faced stiff competition from Facebook Messenger and other messaging apps.
Yahoo recently sold off the email and web portal portion of its business to Verizon in order to concentrate on its share of the Chinese export company Alibaba. Verizon, which also recently acquired AOL, plans to operate the Yahoo and AOL services under one division.
~ Cynthia