Yahoo Lifestyle Yahoo’s redesigned Mail app aims to bring order to your inbox
You can also unsubscribe from those pesky mailing lists with a single tap.
The way we use email has changed a lot over the years, evolving from person-to-person communications to an all-in-one depository for newsletters, coupons, travel receipts and (a lot of) miscellaneous junk. This can lead to an overwhelmingly messy inbox, making it that much harder to find that e-ticket right before the concert. Yahoo Mail's revamped app, however, hopes to change that with an approach that prioritizes organization and avoid email overload (Full disclosure: Yahoo's parent company is Verizon, which is the same as Engadget's).
The primary way in which it does this is by grouping emails into "Views" with categories like Deals, Travel, Subscriptions and Attachments, which are all treated very differently. This is conceptually similar to Gmail's tabs. In Yahoo Mail's Travel view, for example, you'll see all of your upcoming flight and hotel itineraries, as well as previously completed trips and the associated emails (similar to how Google's Inbox used to do).
In the Subscriptions tab, you can see all of your currently subscribed-to mailing lists or newsletters, with the option to unsubscribe from any of them with a single tap, all within the app. One of my favorites is the Attachments view, which houses all of your various documents -- be they event tickets or photos -- in one easy-to-navigate folder.
If you're a frequent shopper, you might like the Deals view, which transforms all of your promotional emails into an online shopping portal. It lists top and recommended brands based on your habits and preferences, and even lists nearby deals in a Location tab (this is for iOS users only currently). You can even filter out coupons and get notified about offers before they expire. The Groceries view functions in much the same way, except you can even use it to make a shopping list. It'll also take into account any loyalty cards that you might have with a participating store.
On top of that, the new Yahoo Mail also has an "Active Update" feature. Based on the information it gleans from your emails, it'll automatically float timely updates at the top of your inbox, be it package tracking or flight delays.
Organization aside, the new Yahoo Mail interface has also been redesigned to better fit larger phone screens. Previously, the 'hamburger' menu icon was located on the upper left, which was a little difficult to reach one-handed. Now, a customizable navigation bar is located at the bottom of the screen, which is a lot easier to access. You can also personalize push notifications so that you know whenever an important email arrives in your inbox.
As before, you don't need to use Yahoo Mail in order to use the app; it's compatible with all kinds of email accounts like Gmail or Microsoft's Outlook.
The new Yahoo Mail app will arrive on both iOS and Android starting September 23rd.
