Skype works very much like an instant messaging program, but allows users to call people on their buddy list and have a voice conversation instead of a text-based chat.
In 2008, the company launched YY, a voice-based gaming communications service, which enabled gamers to voice chat over the Internet and text chat in real-time while slaying monsters or coordinating gaming missions.
Users send an invite by email or text message, and the invitee taps a button to enter a browser chat, which opens a browser-based chat room on their phone.