Yahoo started allowing users to log in to its services with their Facebook and Google IDs in 2011, but now it is putting an end to that, starting with the sign-in process for Yahoo Sports Tourney Pick’Em.
A Yahoo spokeswoman tells TNW: “This new process, which now asks users to sign in with a Yahoo username, will allow us to offer the best personalized experience to everyone.”
The termination of sign-ins via Facebook and Google will take place gradually, which means that users will sooner or later need a Yahoo username to access all of its services, as Reuters first reported. The Yahoo spokeswoman confirms to us that “eventually, the sign in buttons for Facebook and Google will be removed from all Yahoo properties.”
For now, users can still access Yahoo services using their Facebook or Google log-ins. A timeline wasn’t provided for when exactly they will cease to exist.
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The move to integrate Facebook and Google log-ins three years ago came as Yahoo sought to tap on their huge numbers of users — but it seems like CEO Marissa Mayer is keen to take a different route in a bid to reclaim native users and revive its ecosystem.
For those who haven’t used their Yahoo account in ages, Yahoo IDs are not only for your email: they also tie your customizations and preferences to other Yahoo properties, including looking up content such as sports information, weather, and news. Last year, the company started freeing up Yahoo IDs that had been inactive for at least 12 months.
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