Do you remember Yo, the simple app that made waves in App Store and got to the top charts last year, in June 2014? If you do, then maybe you'll be thrilled to know that Yo is making a comeback with the newly launched version, Yo 2.0.
In 2014, Or Arbel, Yo's CEO, declared in a press conference that developing Yo was a tough enterprise, with struggles to keep the service up, sleepless nights, lots of interviews, and even getting hacked. Hackers have gained access to Yo users' mobile phone numbers.
Fortunately, instead of messing things up, they just wanted to notice Arbel about the security flaw. The hackers were even hired to work with Yo developers in order to fix the security flaws in the app.
Yo's success and popularity is based on a very simple concept. You just send the word "Yo" to your contacts. Yo has become a hit precisely for its pure simplicity. Of course, not everyone has appreciated it. But it was exactly its critics that started such viral press frenzy over Yo.
After Tim Bradshaw of Financial Times called the application "ridiculous", many others wrote articles about Yo. While tech news reporters were mocking Yo for its "ridiculous" simplicity, the application went viral and made it to the top of the App Store charts.
At that time, Yo became the fourth most popular free app in the United States. Users simply loved its simplicity. Unfortunately, the success didn't last and Yo's popularity and App Store rankings went down just as fast as it has risen to the top.
Fast forward to the present day, the developers of Yo try to recapture the audiences of Yo's fans with an updated version, Yo 2.0. Among the features of the new interface, beyond just sending the word "Yo", version 2.0 comes also with group chats and the launch of Yo Groups. A "Yo" can be now sent simultaneously to multiple users. You can also "Yo" someone a photo or "Yo" someone your current location. The app still keeps its being simple. There are no text comments for the photos, no editing filters, or options to retake the shot.
The developers seem to be committed to the simple approach that made the first version of Yo so popular before. All that matters for them is to keep Yo's bare messaging functionality. Yo's CEO, Or Arbel, declared that the company intends to introduce monetization and enables other brands to send advertising Yo to their potential customers. It remains to be seen if the new update will propel Yo again to the top of the App Store charts.
