Yahoo just
built email for the next wave of smartphone users
The
new Yahoo Mail for Android Go and mobile web is designed to run on the basic
phones popular in developing countries—without feeling like a compromise.
According to wireless industry organization
the GSMA, by 2025, the number of people that access the web via wireless
phones is expected to grow by 50%. The majority of those people aren’t going to be using the newest
iPhone. Instead, they’ll be accessing the web using less powerful devices and,
in many cases, the mobile web.
Today Yahoo is launching two new ways to access its mail service,
both tailored for these new users. They include a new mobile web experience and
an Android Go app for Google’s Android Oreo Go Edition device.
“Across the world, you’ll see some people have been using desktop
mail, and then they migrate to mobile mail. But there are some parts of the
world where mobile is their first email experience,” says Josh Jacobson, senior
director of product management for Yahoo Mail. “When we took a look at the
mobile web, we saw there was area for improvement to bring it up to the level
of our apps.”
Yahoo Mail [Animation: courtesy of Yahoo]Rather than create
different experiences for the mobile web and Android Go, Yahoo attempted to
come as close as possible to replicating its standard native app. The Go
version is identical to the full version of the app, except it doesn’t support
as many languages and uses lower-resolution graphics. The new mobile web
experience loads quickly, supports multiple accounts, and offers a variety of
themes. (Through its testing, Yahoo has found that people use the mobile web
version of mail like they would an app, pulling to refresh and swiping around
without being prompted to do so.)
Though Yahoo Mail doesn’t have Gmail’s high profile and
billion-user bragging rights, more than 227 million people worldwide currently
use it every month. The service receives 26 billion emails a day in 46
different languages across 70 markets. Yahoo sees an opportunity to serve users
in parts of the world where the mobile web is widely used, and Android Go could
gain traction. “As a business, we understand that this user base is going to
clearly grow, and it’s important to service those users,” says Jacobson,
pointing out that apps optimized for Android Go get the most prominent
promotion in Google Play on those devices.
BY EMILY PRICE https://www.fastcompany.com/40586669/yahoo-just-built-email-for-the-next-wave-of-smartphone-users?utm_source=postup&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Fast%20Company%20Daily&position=3&partner=newsletter&campaign_date=06202018
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