The tech company has announced that it is now offering “on-demand” email passwords that will be sent to you via your cell phone.
Yahoo is putting an end to email passwords, and it wants everyone to know about its seriousness.
According to its announcement in March, Yahoo email users could opt to have the company text them a one-time password every time they log in, the Internet company launched Yahoo Account Key on Thursday, an app that sends users a smartphone push notification that can be used for each log in. Just like the text messaging feature, a non-Yahoo email address can serve as a backup when a phone is not around.
If users select to use the account key, they will no longer need to fill in a password field when they attempt to log into their email. On the other side, they will input an email address and, recognizing who the email address belongs to, the Yahoo Account Key will send a push notification to the account owner’s smartphone seeking authorization.
Dylan Casey, Yahoo’s vice president of product management, said, “Starting (Thursday), Yahoo users will never have to use a password ever again.”
There is a warning, for those who don’t have a smartphone or those who choose to not opt into the feature will still have to use passwords.
Jeffrey Bonforte, Yahoo’s senior vice president of communication products, explains that, more than 90% of Yahoo customers in the United States have a smartphone, and smartphones are the No. 1 way people worldwide access email.
Additionally, while launching Yahoo Account Key, the company also launched a revamped Yahoo Mail app for iOS and Android that supports integrations with other mailboxes.