According to Business Insider, Yahoo didn’t give a reason for its cancellation, but it likely had trouble competing with other messaging apps.
Yahoo wrote in a press release: “We know we have many loyal fans who have used Yahoo Messenger since its beginning as one of the first chat apps of its kind. As the communications landscape continues to change over, we’re focusing on building and introducing new, exciting communications tools that better fit consumer needs.
“As the communications landscape continues to change over, we’re focusing on building and introducing new, exciting communications tools that better fit consumer needs.”
Yahoo is currently beta testing an invite-only messaging app called Squirrel, which could serve as a replacement for those who will miss Messenger. However, since Squirell’s release last month, it has been downloaded fewer than 5,000 times, according to Randy Nelson, the head of mobile insights at Sensor Tower.
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.
