Yaani

What did it do?

Yaani was a Turkish-focused, mobile-first search engine unveiled in October 2017 by Turkcell, Turkey's largest mobile operator. It first came out as an app on the App Store and Google Play, with a web version and browser features added later. Turkcell stressed that user data would be kept in the country, at its data centre in Gebze, and planned to offer a digital advertising service.

Why did it shut down?

Yaani entered a market dominated almost single-handedly by Google, with an emphasis on data sovereignty. According to Webtekno, around the time of the launch the makers of rival Geliyoo claimed that Yaani used data from other search engines, while Turkcell said it had only received technology support from some companies. In late 2022 the search service ended without any announcement, and the search page began redirecting to links for the mobile app. According to Wikipedia, the app lived on for a while as a browser using other search engines before it too was shut down. Turkcell gave no official reason for the closure.

The story

In October 2017 Turkcell general manager Kaan Terzioğlu unveiled the long-discussed Turkish search engine. It was called Yaani. At the launch Terzioğlu said that most of Turkey's data was stored abroad, described the data centre the company had built in Gebze and stressed that Yaani's data would be kept there. According to Webrazzi, the product had been in development for two and a half years.

Yaani first came out as a mobile app on the App Store and Google Play. Turkcell subscribers who installed the app for the first time received 1 GB of free mobile data for a week, and searches were not deducted from their data allowance. The company planned to integrate its own services, such as TV+, BiP, lifebox and Paycell, into the search engine and to offer a digital advertising service. A web version followed shortly afterwards, and in 2019 an email service called YaaniMail was launched under the same brand.

Yaani's path, however, was contentious from the start. According to Webtekno, after the launch the makers of Geliyoo, another Turkish search engine venture, alleged that Yaani used data from other search engines. Turkcell said it did not use any search engine and had only received technology support from some companies. According to Wikipedia, before it closed the app had been downloaded more than 5 million times and more than 125 million searches had been made.

In November 2022 the search service ended without any announcement. One day users could no longer search; the search page redirected first to Turkcell, then to links for the app. The mobile app lived on for a while as a browser using other search engines, then it too was shut down.

Yaani's story shows how even a product backed by a big company's resources can quietly fade into history when it fails to offer a clear benefit to users while competing with a global monopoly.

Lessons for founders

• Playing up home-grown credentials brings the first download; what keeps users is product quality.
• Do not take on a rival with network effects and data advantages this large without clear differentiation.
• Quietly withdrawing a product you have shut down also damages trust in your brand and your future products.

Sources

1. Turkcell unveils Yaani, a Turkish mobile search engine! (Webrazzi, 2017-10-25)
2. Whatever Happened to Yaani, Turkcell's Once Ever-Present Search Engine? (Webtekno, 2023-12-15)
3. Yaani (Vikipedi)

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