Remember the good old days when we kept ICQ, IRC and Yahoo Messenger running on our desktops? In the blink of an eye, WhatsApp, WeChat and Telegram have taken over. Yahoo officially pulled the plug on the classic Yahoo Messenger in July 2018, simply because users had moved on. Not ready to give up, Yahoo is back with a brand-new toy: Yahoo Together – Group Chat, nick-named "Yahoo Together Chat" in English-speaking circles.
What exactly is Yahoo Together Chat?
In one sentence: Slack for families. It splits a group into hashtag-style topics, like turning a living room into several private booths—#FridayParty for the night-out crew, #AuntSurprise for birthday planners, and never the twain shall meet. Yahoo markets it squarely at "event-organising families": create a group, assign tasks, share a calendar and set reminders, all in one place.
Three-step core game play
- Create a group—drag in relatives and friends, up to 1,000 members.
- Open topics—#TripPlan, #XmasMenu; jump in when you have something to say.
- Assign tasks—who buys the cake, who books the restaurant? @mention them and let the app nag them later.
Sounds sweet, but there are thorns
- Mobile-only—no desktop client, no web version. Office workers who want to slack off must first dodge the boss.
- High migration cost—everyone already has WhatsApp; convincing them to install one more app is like teaching parents to use GIFs.
- Network hiccups—Yahoo services occasionally lag, messages or images can time out.
Who is it for—and not for?
| Great for | Skip if |
|---|---|
| Family "event planners" who organise reunions, trips, weddings | 9-to-5 desk jockeys—no PC client means you’re cut off at work |
| App hoarders who already keep 20+ social apps on their phone | Storage minimalists—one more icon is one too many |
Bottom line after hands-on testing
As a "family organiser", Yahoo Together Chat lines up tasks, calendars and topics neatly. Step outside that circle and it stands zero chance of replacing WhatsApp or WeChat. After all, the moat of a chat app is never features—it’s "everyone I know is already here". So fire it up for the next big family bash, but keep your everyday group chats where they already live.