In its bid to be more relevant, Yahoo has been refreshing its services lately. One of the new changes involves a capability for users to access their Yahoo emails without the need for passwords. The new system was announced at the SXSW festival in Texas last Sunday.

The pioneering authentication process works this way: When the username is entered in the Yahoo mail login page, a one-time-use password is sent to the user's mobile device via SMS. It includes a link that opens the mail app either on the phone or on a desktop computer. This eliminates the need to remember a unique password for each online account, according to Mashable. 

The passwrod-free system, which Yahoo calls as Account Key, is also the company's response to the growing security concerns of its users. This is particularly the case for those who are exposed to hacking by using the same password for multiple accounts. It is based on the two-factor authentication framework, which requires two things in order to log-in, according to Venture Beat. For those concerned about login problems caused by lost phones, Yahoo developed backup features that will guarantee user access.

While the Yahoo mail concept only eliminates the traditional password to access an email account, it is touted as the first step to completely eliminating passwords, Dylan Casey, vice president of product management at Yahoo, said in an Entrepreneur report. 

During the demonstration at the Texas event, the process appeared robust and snappy. Actual experience, however, could differ slightly. There are instances when the push notification arrives a little late.