Yahoo launches silent video chat app Livetext

It seems like everyone is jumping on the mobile messaging bandwagon in some form or another. Given the competitive landscape, however, one needs to come up with a unique concept or gimmick to stand out among the crowd. Yahoo believes its new communications app does just that.

Livetext is described by Yahoo as live video texting. A session starts out as a normal video chat but instead of talking, users text each other. The messages are overlaid on the live video stream, scrolling upwards as the conversation grows.

The kicker is that Livetext is entirely video- and text-based; there’s no audio feed.

Like other popular messaging applications, the app is ephemeral meaning conversations and video are deleted as soon as a session closes. Spam or abuse shouldn’t be much of a concern either as the video feed is only activated once both parties agree to chat.

Yahoo product manager Arjun Seti said they want to create the emotional connection and make sure users can get into a conversation as quickly as possible.

While it’s easy to dismiss a video chat app without audio as destined for failure, you have to remember that we’re living in unprecedented times where something that may seem illogical can actually be quite popular.

Take Twitch, for example, a service in which others watch people play video games. Not play themselves, but just watch others play. Who would have thought that playing the role of little brother would actually be desirable?

Livetext is available for both Android and iOS as of writing from their respective app stores.