How Yahoo Mail Just Killed the Need for a Password

The new way users can sign into their email accounts.

ByABC News
October 15, 2015, 4:03 PM
This screen grab made from Yahoo Inc.'s Tumblr page shows the company's new logo in a post published, Sept. 4, 2013.
This screen grab made from Yahoo Inc.'s Tumblr page shows the company's new logo in a post published, Sept. 4, 2013.
Yahoo Inc./AP Photo

— -- Yahoo just killed the password.

The online company today announced a revamped version of its Yahoo Mail app for iOS and Android, allowing users to log into their email accounts securely and without ever having to remember a password or enter one to gain access.

The password killer, called Yahoo Account Key, works like this: Users enter their user name and are then sent a push alert to their smartphone letting them know someone is trying to log in to their account and from what computer. With one tap, the user can accept and will be taken to their email inbox -- all without ever using a password.

"Passwords are usually simple to hack and easy to forget. Account Key streamlines the sign-in process with a secure, elegant and easy-to-use interface that makes access as easy as tapping a button," Dylan Casey, vice president of product management at Yahoo said in a blog post. "It’s also more secure than a traditional password because once you activate Account Key -- even if someone gets access to your account info -- they can’t sign in."

Yahoo rolled out another password killer earlier this year, letting users get SMS codes to use to log into their account instead of having to remember a password.