Yahoo just launched a 'live' messaging app that combines silent video chats and texting

Yahoo just released a new messaging app, Livetext.

Livetext is essentially FaceTime without sound - as you text your friends, you'll see a live, but silent, video stream of their reaction.

"We wanted to bridge the gap between simplicity and ease of texting with the live connection and expressiveness of video," Adam Cahan, Yahoo's SVP of Mobile and Emerging Products said during the launch event.

Yahoo first released the app to Hong Kong's iTunes Store earlier in July, but it will be available for iOS and Android in the U.S. starting Thursday.