Yo went from being what was considered a dumb joke to an amazing success basically overnight. The app’s idea dead simple: let the user send only the word “Yo” to a friend in a push notification. Now there’s an API for the app and it’s being used to warn citizens about missile strikes in the Middle East.
As you can imagine, there are plenty of app makers trying to jump on the Yo bandwagon after all the attention it has been getting. One app that sticks out from the rest is AHOY, a new iPhone app that takes the Yo concept one step further by adding location to the mix.
One could call AHOY a Yo clone, especially in the way it’s interface looks. But the main difference is that it uses Foursquare location data to let you tell your contacts where you are right now.
Like Yo, I thought AHOY was dumb at first. Then I started using it with a couple friends, and now I’m hooked. It takes literally two taps for me to instantly tell someone where I am. If I’m at a coffee shop and want a friend to join, I can just send him a notification on AHOY.
You’re obviously not going to be able to plan a night out on the town with something like AHOY, but that’s also not what the app is for. It’s capitalizing on an ultra-fast, simple, barebones way of communicating Yo tapped into first. And it’s weirdly addictive.
My only qualm is that, like Yo, you have to know a friend’s username to add them in the app. One upside is that the lack of Facebook or Twitter integration keeps your list of contacts short. Something like location sharing needs to be kept to a shortlist anyway.
AHOY is made by Confide, the same startup behind a secure messaging app with the same name.
If you’re interested, check out AHOY in the App Store. It’s a free download.
