Yahoo was in fact the first to introduce access to Yahoo account by SMS verification, a method wherein every time a user wants to login to his Yahoo mail account the password will be sent to the registered mobile number in the form of a OTP, just like how bank authenticates its transactions. Yahoo in a bid to improvise on the OTP password has introduced a better login method which is more efficient as well. Once you attempt to login to your Yahoo Mail account and enter the email address and click on the password field, it will simply disappear. Fret not, instead you will get a notification on your phone asking if you want to accept or deny the login request. Choosing “Accept” will log you in and allow full access for the account. Yahoo is expected to add other options of login including biometrics. The not so good thing about this app is the fact that it can be used only in smartphones and in case you lose your phone, the access to the account can be regained by using secondary email id. That being said, Yahoo is thankfully not forcing the Yahoo Account Key down the user’s throat and keeping it as optional. While some might argue that Yahoo Account Key might be less secure, I beg to differ. Yahoo Account Key is available for smartphones and it in fact adds an extra layer of security. Remember how we still depend on the device lock for our Gmail accounts on phones which are synced up and can be accessed by anyone with our phone. Dylan Casey, VP of Product management at Yahoo said “Passwords are difficult to remember and secondary sign-in verification is inconvenient and confusing,” He further added that “Earlier this year we launched on demand passwords using an SMS code. We are now taking a major leap towards a password-free future with the launch of Yahoo Account Key, which uses push notifications to give users simple and secure access using their mobile device.” The new Yahoo Mail app has been rolled out globally and the desktop experience will be available for US English users today and will soon start seeding for the users outside the US.
