About
Yo is a mobile messaging application that allows users to send other mobile device users a text notification that simply reads “Yo.” It was created by Israeli developer Or Arbel as a way to simplify mobile-to-mobile communication.
History
The app was created by iOS engineer Or Arbel[2] after Moshe Hogeg, the CEO of Tel Aviv-based social investment startup Mobli and his then employer, asked for an app that would allow him to get his personal assistant’s attention with something even easier than a text. The app took Arbel eight hours to create. Yo was launched on April 1st, 2014[3] and is available to download for free through the Apple Store and Google Play.
Funding
On June 18th, 2014, the Financial Times[7] announced Yo had raised 1 million dollars[4] through investors, most of which are connected to Hogeg and Mobile.
Features
With the Yo app users can send a “Yo,” notification using only two taps, which the creator has compared to the eleven taps it would take to send a message reading Yo on the rival app Whatsapp. By double tapping someone’s name you can send a notification which will say “YoYo.”
Reception
As of June 18th, 2014, Yo had gained over 50,000 users who had sent almost 4 million “Yo” notifications. The app has an average 4.5 star rating[6] in the Apple Store. In less than 24 hours between June 18th and June 19th, the app gained over 170,000 new users. On June 19th, Buzzfeed[1] published an article which collected negative comments about the app from Twitter.
Search Interest
External References
[1]Buzzfeed – Everything You Need To Know About “Yo,” The New Hot App That Just Got $1 Million Dollars In Funding
[2]CNN– The million-dollar app that says ‘yo’
[3]Daily Mail- The app that only lets you send the word ‘yo’ to friends – and has already received $1 MILLION in funding
[4]Think Progress – People Invested $1 Million In An App That Just Says ‘Yo’
[5]Mashable – This App Lets You Say ‘Yo’ to Your Contacts. That’s It.
[6]The Huffington Post – An App That Does Nothing Except Say ‘Yo’ Raises One. Million. Dollars.
[7]Financial Times – Yo: The New App That Takes the Simple to the Extreme