Yahoo Mail app gets a major update; password no longer required, third party accounts supported

Yahoo announced yesterday a major update to the Yahoo Mail app. Included is a new feature called "Yahoo Account Key," which allows you to sign into the app without using a password. Instead, the app will send a notification to the smartphone that is associated with the account. The message asks the user to either accept or decline the request to login. The former will obviously open the Yahoo mail app, while the latter will keep the app closed.

Dylan Casey, Vice President of Product Management for Yahoo, said that the Account Key could be expanded to include fingerprint scanning or face recognition. Either way, you won't have to remember a password to gain entry to the app. This is being offered to subscribers of Yahoo Mail on an opt-in basis, and if your phone is stolen or lost, you will have to use a secondary email to login. Yahoo's Senior Vice President Jeff Bonforte noted that while two-factor authorization is being widely employed these days, he calls it too complicated for most people. Perhaps that is why less than 10% of Yahoo Mail subscribers use it.


Yahoo also made some other changes to its Mail app, including support for third party email accounts. Now, you can check your Outlook, Hotmail and AOL mail while logged into the Yahoo Mail app. The complete account will be available for you to view, including images and documents. In addition, whatever features Yahoo Mail offers, it will work with these third party accounts. While Yahoo hasn't added support for Gmail, and Corporate Outlook accounts, it is working on it.

The update to the Yahoo Mail app now allows you to include the avatars for your contacts that you use on social media sites like Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn. And mail coming from verified companies will now show that firm's logo next to the email listing. This is a security feature that should help prevent you from replying to a phishing scam. Yahoo also has added some new swiping gestures and contextual search for the app. This isn't your grandma's Yahoo Mail app! Check out the changes by clicking on Yahoo's official video, which we've embedded below just for you.

While the app is available for both iOS and Android users, those with the 3D Touch enabled Apple iPhone 6s and Apple iPhone 6s Plus will be able to tap lightly to see a preview of an email (Peek) and press hard to open it (Pop).




source: Reuters via Engadget