Yahoo has released a new version of their Yahoo! Messenger for iPhone (v1.2.1) with Push Notifications. Now, you will be notified when a new IM comes to your iPhone, even if the Yahoo! Messenger app is closed (or your phone is asleep).
The new message alerts for Yahoo! Messenger for iPhone work like the push notifications you get for Mail. When a new message comes in, a badge appears on top of the Yahoo! Messenger app icon on your home screen, indicating the number of new messages. This badge is based on cumulative messages received so whether three friends send you one message or one friend sends you three messages, you’d see a “3” on the app icon either way.
Notifications : You can also be notified with a sound when a new IM comes in. If your iPhone is muted, it will vibrate instead.
You can choose to use all or none of these new message alerts. To set your preferences, tap “Settings” on the home screen, then “Notifications”, and finally “Yahoo! Messenger”. From there you can turn on/off the sound, alert or badge notifications (they’re defaulted on when you install the app).
Now that new message alerts are included, you may want to make sure your Yahoo! Messenger for iPhone app icon is visible on your primary home screen. Get tips from Apple on how to customize your home screen icons. Using the same method, you can also drag and drop the Yahoo! Messenger app icon into your dock.
Stay online for up to 2 weeks
The Yahoo! Messenger for iPhone app will keep you signed in and visible to your Yahoo! Messenger friends for up to two weeks. When the app is closed on your phone, your status will show you as online but in an Idle state. Friends can IM you and when they do, you’ll receive a new message notification as described above.
There are a couple of ways your Yahoo! Messenger for iPhone availability can be interrupted. The first is if you sign into Yahoo! Messenger on a different device, such as your computer. Currently you can only be signed into Yahoo! Messenger from one location, so if you tend to move back and forth between your computer and your iPhone, just remember to sign in to your Yahoo! Messenger for iPhone app to ensure you’re online.
Buzz your friends…with an iPhone twist
Buzz was one of the most requested features from our users on the iPhone app. So you’ll be happy to know you can now buzz away to your heart’s content. We also gave it a little iPhone flavor. When you want to buzz a friend, just shake your iPhone vigorously. Your friend gets buzzed on their end and you’ll also see the usual BUZZ!!! message in the conversation window.
