Published on August 28th, 2015 | by Guest

How Yahoo’s Livetext App Compares to Snapchat

At the end of July, Yahoo launched Livetext, an app that seems positioned as a rival to Snapchat, the rampantly popular app that allows people to send short videos and pictures to friends. Here’s how the two stack up:

Image by Kaboompics

Both Are Used to Share Media between Friends

Whether you end up preferring Livetext or Snapchat, both can handle the essential task of helping you share media with friends. That content can bridge the gap between geographical boundaries and let people more easily communicate specific details about situations to their friends.

Your Exchanges Are Instantly Deleted

Snapchat and Livetext are also similar because conversations are ephemeral. That means that as soon as the exchange ceases all associated data is deleted. That feature might help you breathe easier if you’re sharing something that’s only intended for one person and you don’t want to risk someone else potentially seeing the content.

Livetext Users Can Text While Watching a Video

Perhaps the main selling point that might cause people to lose their Snapchat loyalty in favor of Livetext is that the latter lets people text their friends simultaneously while sending or watching a video.

A Tumblr post from a senior director at Yahoo explains how developers wanted to combine the immediate nature of sending a text, plus the expressiveness that can come across in an audio-free video clip. With those two goals in mind, Livetext was born.

Livetext Could Theoretically Give Conversations More Context

Because Livetext users can text in real-time in regards to content they see or send, the app might cut down on a lot of the confusion that can result when users have to send a clip or image and wonder if the recipient will truly be able to grasp the correct meaning from the provided footage.

It might reduce the need for “LOL”s and emotions, too. After all, if people can actually see their friends laughing, grinning or frowning, there’s no need to use a smartphone’s keypad to try and accurately convey emotions. One reviewer says the app allows for “active messaging” and could streamline communications, thanks to the app’s visual aspect.

No Need to Wonder If Content Has Been Received

People who have tried Livetext say it strikes the middle ground between leaving a voice mail and having a traditional conversation. However, one of the app’s perks lies in its ability to verify the person on the other end has gotten the message.

Consider how nervous some people feel when they send a text-based message through Facebook and wait anxiously to see the “seen” time stamp, which indicates the recipient has read it. When using Livetext, that waiting game is eliminated, because you not only get to see a person reading the content you’ve sent, but instantly get his or her reaction to it.

Let Someone Share the Atmosphere

The capability of Livetext to combine text and videos could also be advantageous if you’re in a place where it’s too loud to speak and be heard, but texts just won’t suffice. A concert is a great example.

Dave Matthews Band is known for having dedicated fans that want to immediately know which songs are being played at a concert. To cater to that audience, developers have built an app that broadcasts song titles in the moment, and there’s a Twitter feed that serves the same purpose. However, Livetext might be able to improve the experience for concert fans even more.

It’s one thing to get word a beloved band is playing a song from its back catalog they haven’t performed live in eight years. For someone who truly loves the atmosphere of a live concert and feeds off the associated energy, being able to see reactions from people who are at the show, while also getting text notifications, could ease the sting of not being able to attend a gig in person

The element that most notably sets Livetext apart from its competitor is the simultaneous text and video feature. But, it remains to be seen whether people will embrace this newbie as warmly as Snapchat or simply view it as a passing fad.

Tags: app, compares, Livetext, Snapchat, Yahoo