By Arjun Sethi, Senior Director, Product Management

We’re all walking around with a device in our pockets, primarily to communicate with others. Always on, we’re driven by an innate need to connect, and the desire to share moments with people we care about. Hundreds of millions of us are addicted to our phones, most of us (71 %) even sleep with them; yet, the way we use these devices to communicate doesn’t fit seamlessly into our daily lives. While texting is quick and easy, you often miss the meaning of a message, have to explain your reaction (“LOL”), or wait hours before getting a response. And to actually talk on the phone, you not only have to be available, but you also have to be in a place where you can chat.

Connecting with your friends should be spontaneous, convenient and memorable - but also fleeting, just like a real-life conversation. So today, we’re introducing Yahoo Livetext - a new way to communicate that blends the immediacy, simplicity and ease of texting with the expressiveness of video, without the audio. We see video as a way to make your conversations more authentic, and we see text as a way to connect that’s quick and non-intrusive. We think you’re really going to love it.

Yahoo Livetext puts your words and your friend’s real-time reactions at the center of your conversation. Whether you’re watching Avicii DJ at the Creamfields Festival, at Venice Beach or taking in the view from the Eiffel Tower, you can spontaneously connect with the people you care about and invite them to experience moments with you. Your friend’s goofy look or giant smile, even her eye roll or silent sigh, suddenly become a part of your conversation. Simple conversations are transformed into vivid, authentic and memorable experiences that you can share anytime.

Over the past few weeks, we’ve been testing Yahoo Livetext in Hong Kong, Taiwan and Ireland, and we’re really excited about what we’ve heard from our community so far.

We’ll be releasing Yahoo Livetext in five new countries - U.S., U.K., Canada, Germany and France. Just go to the App Store and Google Play Store to check it out, and let us know how you’re using Yahoo Livetext to connect. Livetexting is better together.