Yahoo wants you to forget your password, announces 'on-demand' login service

March 17, 2015

Yahoo's new "on-demand" system will tie your phone number with your Yahoo account, sending you a one-time verification key to your iPhone every time you want to login.

Yahoo has announced its take on password security with a service that removes the password altogether. With its on-demand service, the software giant will deliver a one-time key every time a user needs to log in to their account, with a "send my password" button displayed instead of the password text box.

Yahoo has detailed instructions on how you can enable the service, which is now available to customers in the U.S.:

1) Sign in to your Yahoo.com account.

2) Click on your name at the top right corner to go to your account information page.

3) Select "Security" in the left bar.

4) Click on the slider for "On-demand passwords" to opt-in.

5) Enter your phone number and Yahoo will send you a verification code.

6) Enter the code and voila!

Yahoo isn't the only tech company looking to simplify the account sign-in process, with Twitter also launching a Digits service that allows users to log in to their accounts via a unique code sent to the phone number associated with their accounts.

Along with on-demand passwords, Yahoo showcased an end-to-end encryption plugin for Yahoo Mail developed in collaboration with Google:

Yahoo's method is geared at being more user-friendly, and while the encryption service is not yet available to users, the company plans to launch it sometime before the end of the year.

Source: Yahoo