#EndOfAnEra: After 20years, Yahoo Messenger to be killed in July
It's the end of an era. After 20 long years of service, Yahoo Messenger will finally be put to rest on July 17. Oath, the Verizon-owned company that now owns Yahoo's internet business, is the one pulling the plug. Meanwhile, existing Yahoo Messenger users will be subsequently moved to a new messaging service, Yahoo Squirrel, when the age-old messaging service shuts down. Here's more.
At one point of time, Yahoo Messenger was the rage
Yahoo Messenger came on to the scene in 1998. Then, it was introduced as Yahoo Pager and, within a short span of time, became quite popular among internet users. The youth of that time preferred Yahoo Pager, subsequently renamed to Yahoo Messenger in 1999, to connect to their social and familial circles. Yahoo Messenger was also a rage in India back in the day.
New competitors destroyed Yahoo Messenger's popularity
However, Yahoo Messenger started losing its users to the likes of new entrants - Google Chat, Facebook and WhatsApp. In fact, the word 'Messenger' which was once synonymous to Yahoo Messenger, increasingly started being associated with Facebook's messaging service. Yahoo's subsequent attempts to revive Yahoo Messenger by launching its app for Android and iOS didn't pay off either, and it slowly faded to obscurity.
What we know about Yahoo's new app, Squirrel
Meanwhile, the Squirrel app comes across as a plain messaging app, with a couple of quirky features here and there. Yahoo has been beta testing Squirrel for a month now, and currently the invite-only app can be accessed by users who sign up as beta testers. However, after the public release, Squirrel is expected to face tough competition in the already-crowded instant messaging space.
How can you download your Messenger history?
In its announcement, Yahoo has mentioned that your messenger IDs will not be affected. Further, you can download your Messenger history within the next six months. Now, go and read those cringe-worthy but nostalgic messages!
