iWorld
Yahoo to shut messenger app after 20 years
MUMBAI: Yahoo Messenger, the messaging app, is finally shutting down for good.The app, which was acquired by Verizon in 2017, is shutting down on 17 July. The company didn’t give any explanation for shutting its messenger. Yahoo Messenger users will now be directed to invite-based Yahoo Squirrel service. Testing of Yahoo Squirrel was done last month and it will soon be available for users.
With the increase in number of messaging apps like WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger, Snapchat continually capturing the market, it was probably hard to compete with the existing product.
Yahoo Messenger was one of the first instant messaging apps created, but it struggled to keep up with modern apps like WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger, and Snapchat. However, the app found a surprising niche- within oil trading companies. Older versions of Yahoo Messenger shut down in 2016, and oil traders voiced their concern about the app’s demise at the time.
“You have no idea how much I’ll miss Yahoo Messenger,” one oil trader from Singapore told Reuters in 2016. “I built up hundreds of contacts on it over more than a decade. I have Yahoo friends I have never met, but with whom I spent many hours bantering and joking. It also made me a lot of money. Now that it’s gone, I could cry, as per a blog post.”
For the users who are still using Yahoo mail, their Yahoo ID will keep working for other Yahoo services such as Yahoo Mail.
iWorld
X launches XChat messaging app on iOS with calls and encryption
Standalone app marks shift from “everything app” vision, adds E2E messaging.
MUMBAI: From one big app to many small chats, X seems to be splitting its ambitions. X has rolled out its standalone messaging app, XChat, to iOS users, opening up a new front in its evolving product strategy. The app allows users to connect with existing X contacts through private and group messages, file sharing, as well as audio and video calls. The launch follows a limited beta phase, where the platform tested the product with a smaller user base to refine the experience. Now available publicly, XChat marks a notable pivot from earlier ambitions championed by Elon Musk to turn X into a single “everything app” combining messaging, payments, commerce and more.
Instead, the company under xAI ownership and backed by SpaceX appears to be building a suite of standalone applications, each targeting specific use cases while expanding its broader ecosystem.
At launch, XChat includes end-to-end encrypted messaging, PIN-based access, disappearing messages, and features such as message editing, deletion for all participants, and screenshot blocking. The company has also said the app is free from advertisements and tracking mechanisms, positioning it as a privacy-first alternative in a crowded messaging space.
However, security claims around the platform are likely to face scrutiny. Earlier iterations of XChat drew criticism from experts who argued it fell short of established encrypted platforms like Signal. With the wider rollout, the app is expected to undergo fresh evaluation to assess whether those concerns have been addressed.
Beyond messaging, XChat will also house X’s Communities feature, which is being discontinued on the main platform due to low usage and spam concerns. Migrating these users could provide an early boost to adoption, effectively turning XChat into both a communication and community hub.
The move underscores a broader recalibration at X less about cramming everything into one app, and more about spreading bets across multiple touchpoints, one message at a time.
