Yahoo aims to kill the password; introduces a new way to sign into email accounts

 

Yahoo is trying to phase out passwords with an update to its mobile application for its email service.

The renovated app released for iPhones and Android devices will include an option called "Account Key" that allows people to sign into their email accounts by pressing on a notification sent to their smartphones instead of typing in a password

Yahoo believes the new feature will be more secure because most people rely on passwords that are easy for hackers to guess.

Yahoo's email users can still continue to type in a password if they prefer.

The Sunnyvale, California, company wants to change the way Internet security works because Yahoo "is synonymous with the Internet in many countries," said Jeff Bonforte, the company's senior vice president of communication products. "We always feel a burden of consumer protection."

Although Yahoo email remains among the world's most popular, it has been eclipsed in recent years by Google's Gmail. Yahoo's email had 190 million users in August 2015, a 16 % decline from the same time last year