Blink, an app that sends self-destructing texts, audio and pictures, has been bought by Yahoo! Inc.
The acquisition was announced by the 7-person team that built the app in a blog post on Tuesday, according to CNET.
A Yahoo spokesperson said the team will now join Yahoo and will work on "smart communication products" for the Sunnyvale, Calif.,-based company. As part of the deal, the app will be shut down for Google's Android and Apple's iOS operating systems.
"We look forward to the possibilities that will come from bringing the Blink vision to Yahoo," the Blink wrote.
Blink was created by Meh Labs, a company founded by Kevin Stephens and Michelle Norgan. The app was first released a little over a year ago for iOS. Users can text and share photos, voice and videos with individuals and groups. A timer can be used to control the visibility of the messages, which lets users set how long they can be read or viewed after tapping. The app has competed with Snapchat, Confide, Frankly, Wickr, and other apps, Tech Crunch reported.
The company reported to have about 100,000 downloads to date when it was released for Android earlier this year. A little more than half of Blink's user base could be found in the U.S. Increasing popularity overseas resulted in the Middle East becoming the app's second-largest market. At the time, Stephens said app would feature localization in Arabic. He also hinted that the company had plans to introduce pro features that would allow the app to be used by contractors and business users.
Yahoo has been buying many startups recently in order to increase its mobile offerings, CNET reported. The company has bought 40 young companies since Marissa Mayer became CEO in 2012. Mayer announced recently that 500 engineers are currently included in the company's mobile team.
Details of how Blink's team and technology will be used by Yahoo have not been revealed.
