Is Yubo made by Snapchat? Many people think so, but here's the real story. The app started as Yellow and worked alongside Snapchat before becoming its own platform. Today, Yubo has grown to 60 million users worldwide. Known as "Tinder for teenagers," the platform attracts young users especially when you have 99% of its community between 13-25 years old.
Is Yubo Made by Snapchat? Clearing the Confusion
Despite their yellow branding, Yubo has no connection to Snapchat's creation or ownership. Parents who worry about their teens' app usage often need this clarification. Let's explore how these platforms connect and what Yubo really is.
The origin of Yubo and its early link to Snapchat
The mix-up goes back to Yubo's roots. Three French engineering students – Sacha Lazimi, Jérémie Aouate, and Arthur Patora – created the app in 2015 under the name Yellow. They noticed young people used Snapchat to find new friends and saw a chance to build a platform just for these connections.
Yellow started as a Snapchat companion app. The app's simple goal was to help Snapchat users find and connect with new friends. Many people thought both apps came from the same company because of this close relationship.
Their yellow-themed branding looked alike by coincidence, not because of any business connection.
How Yubo became its own app
Yellow's success led its creators to dream bigger than just being a Snapchat friend-finder. The app went through a major change and became Yubo. This new name showed the platform's move away from dating app comparisons. It better matched their goal of creating a social networking space.
Yubo took a big step forward by adding live streaming in 2018. The app grew beyond its companion role and became what they call a "live social discovery platform" with unique features.
Now, a Paris company called TWELVE APP owns Yubo. The app has grown to about 60 million users worldwide and found its place in the digital world.
Yubo still works with Snapchat professionally. They added Snapchat's Camera Kit in December 2020, which lets users add AR lenses to their livestreams. This partnership gives Yubo users access to about 40 lenses to boost their experience without building the technology themselves.
Users can still link their Snapchat accounts to Yubo, which sometimes makes people think they're connected companies. This feature just makes it easier for users to interact on both platforms rather than showing any shared ownership.
Who Owns Yubo? Company Background Explained
A team of young French entrepreneurs built Yubo, a social platform that millions now use worldwide. Let's learn about the real creators and owners of this popular teen app after clearing up its connection to Snapchat.
Founders and the creation of Twelve App
Three French engineering students – Sacha Lazimi, Jérémie Aouate, and Arthur Patora created Yubo. They studied at CentraleSupélec Graduate school of Paris-Saclay University and Télécom Paris and tried several social concepts before finding the right idea.
Their start began with two failed projects. They launched "Saloon," a basic anonymous group chatbot at their university, followed by another networking concept that didn't work out. The students spotted an opportunity when they saw millions of people sharing their Snapchat usernames on social media to find new friends.
They created a simple MVP called "Yellow" in October 2015 to help users find Snapchat friends. The idea took off right away and reached 5 million users in its first year. Twelve-App SAS, the company behind this soaring win, has its French registration and offices at 59 rue de Ponthieu, Paris.
Yubo's growth and global expansion
The founders rebuilt the app completely in 2018. They renamed it Yubo and added livestreaming features that made user engagement grow five times. This change turned Yubo from a Snapchat add-on into its own social platform.
Investment propelled their development:
- December 2019: Raised $12.3 million from French investors including Iris Capital and Idinvest Partners
- November 2020: Secured $47.5 million in a Series C round
The COVID-19 pandemic sped up Yubo's growth, with livestreaming jumping 550% globally in 2020. The platform gained 30,000 new users each day by April 2020.
Yubo grew worldwide by opening new offices:
- September 2020: Set up US headquarters in Jacksonville, Florida
- September 2020: Opened London office
- November 2021: Launched New York City office
Yubo's 2023 numbers tell an impressive story: about 60 million users in over 140 countries, $20 million in revenue, more than 50 million Android downloads, and roughly 20 million iOS downloads. They make money equally from subscriptions and in-app purchases, with no ads.
Generation Z makes up almost all of Yubo's users – 99% are between 13-25 years old. This makes it a unique platform built for young people looking to connect online.
How the Yubo App Works Today
The Yubo app gives Gen Z users a unique social experience with its special features and safety measures. This app is different from regular social media platforms because it lets people connect in real-time without worrying about likes or follower numbers.
Profile creation and swiping feature
A Yubo account needs a few basic things: your birthday, name, gender identity, phone number, and a clear photo of your face. Users can add interest "tags" to their profiles to find friends who like the same things. These tags show up in the "friends" tab, which makes it easy to connect with people who share your interests.
The app's swiping system looks like Tinder but serves a different purpose – it helps you find friends instead of dates. You swipe right on people you want to be friends with and left on those you don't. Once two people like each other, they can start chatting.
Live streaming and group chats
Live streaming is Yubo's main feature that lets users broadcast themselves in real-time. Each stream can have up to ten active streamers at once with no limit on viewers. People watching can leave comments and might get invited to join as streamers themselves.
The chat features now include one-minute voice messages and status indicators that show if your friends are active or when they were last online. Yubo has also made it easier for new users to understand their role as either "watchers" or "streamers" during livestreams.
Age verification and community separation
Yubo uses detailed age verification technology through their partnership with Yoti. They are proud to be "the first major social media platform in the world to introduce age-verification technology and requirements for all users."
The verification process is simple – users take a real-time photo in the app. Yoti's technology checks this image to estimate age and make sure it matches the birthday provided. This system helps Yubo keep two separate communities – one for 13-17 year-olds and another for users 18 and older. This ensures teens mostly interact with people their own age.
Is Yubo a Safe App for Teens in 2025?
Safety lies at the heart of Yubo's platform design in 2025. Parents often wonder if this teen-focused social app keeps their young users safe. Let's get into its safety measures and potential risks.
Safety features like AI moderation and pop-up alerts
Yubo uses state-of-the-art technology to protect its community. The platform's real-time monitoring through AI algorithms scans livestreams and spots inappropriate content instantly. This industry-first video and audio moderation removes content that breaks community guidelines right away.
The app sends preventive pop-up alerts when users try to share personal information in private chats. A user who types "My phone number is…" or "I live in…" gets a prompt to think twice before sending. This feature helps teens learn about online privacy risks.
Yubo requires 100% age verification through Yoti's facial recognition technology. This creates separate spaces for users under and over 18 years old. The platform teamed up with Bodyguard in 2023 to add natural language processing. This system analyzes text context and blocks toxic content before it reaches users.
Common risks: grooming, scams, and inappropriate content
These safeguards don't eliminate all risks. The platform attracts online predators with fake profiles because 99% of its users are 13-25 years old. These bad actors try to start inappropriate conversations.
Livestreaming makes Yubo unique but can expose teens to bullying, hate speech, sexual exploitation, and scams. Young users often fall prey to financial schemes like crypto and NFT scams.
Safety experts point out problems with moderation levels and the app's location-sharing features.
Tips for parents to monitor Yubo usage
Parents can protect their teens with these strategies:
- Talk about online safety with your teen and explain dangers without judgment
- Check app activity on your child's phone if you see warning signs
- Set up your own Yubo account to learn the platform
- Look at privacy settings with your teen and turn off location services and profile visibility in the "swipe" section
- Help them spot red flags like secretive behavior or hidden app usage
Technology safeguards combined with parent guidance give teen users the best protection on social platforms.
Conclusion
Yubo is an independent social platform. Many people wrongly think Snapchat created it. The platform has strong safety features, but parents need to watch their teens' activities. The best protection ended up being a mix of tech safeguards and honest talks about online dangers. Parents should think over the benefits and what it all means before their teens start using Yubo.
FAQs
Q1. Who created Yubo and what was its original name?
Yubo was created in 2015 by three French engineering students: Sacha Lazimi, Jérémie Aouate, and Arthur Patora. It was originally launched under the name "Yellow" and functioned as a Snapchat companion app to help users find friends.
Q2. Is Yubo affiliated with or owned by Snapchat?
No, Yubo is not affiliated with or owned by Snapchat. It's an independent social platform owned by TWELVE APP, a Paris-based company. The confusion often arises due to Yubo's early function as a Snapchat companion app and similar yellow branding.
Q3. What age group primarily uses Yubo?
Yubo's user base consists almost entirely of Generation Z, with 99% of users between 13-25 years old. The app is designed specifically for young people seeking online social interactions.
Q4. How does Yubo ensure user safety, especially for teens?
Yubo employs several safety measures, including real-time AI monitoring of livestreams, age verification technology, and separate communities for users under and over 18. The app also sends preventive pop-up alerts when users attempt to share personal information in chats.
Q5. Can adults use Yubo?
Yes, adults can use Yubo, typically those between 18-25 years old. However, Yubo uses age gates to separate users into different communities based on age, limiting interaction between teens and adults to enhance safety.
