Yahoo is adding artificial intelligence to its Mail app to compete with Gmail and Outlook. The company rolled out new AI tools this week to help users manage their emails faster and easier.
The main new feature is called “Catch Up.” It works like a game where users can quickly go through unread emails. The AI shows short summaries of each email. Users can then tap to either delete the email or keep it. At the end, they get a score showing how many emails they deleted and how fast they did it.
Yahoo says this gamified approach makes dealing with email less boring. The feature is only available on mobile phones right now for iPhone and Android users in the United States.
The company also added other AI tools to the Mail app. These include:
- AI-powered email summaries that show what each message is about in one line
- Smart reply suggestions to help users respond quickly
- Email composition help that can adjust the tone to be professional, friendly, or formal
- Quick actions like tracking packages, viewing bills, or adding calendar events without opening the email
- The ability to connect other email accounts like Gmail and Outlook to Yahoo Mail
Yahoo Mail General Manager Kyle Miller said the company wants to make email “feel less like work.” He noted that many people struggle to keep up with their inbox volume and organizing important messages.
The timing is important for Yahoo. The company’s email service has lost ground to competitors over the years. Current market share data shows Apple Mail leads with 54% of email users, followed by Gmail with 31%. Yahoo Mail only has about 3% market share, putting it in fourth place behind Outlook at 4%.
Yahoo says it still has 225 million active users worldwide. The company claims that over half of its users are Gen Z or Millennial. These younger users prefer fast, mobile-friendly experiences over traditional desktop email.
The AI features follow a major redesign Yahoo launched earlier this year for desktop computers. That update included a cleaner interface, priority inbox, and better organization tools. The mobile AI features represent the biggest changes to Yahoo Mail in nearly ten years.
Yahoo faces tough competition from Google and Microsoft, who have also added AI to their email services. Gmail offers Smart Compose and Smart Reply features. Outlook includes AI-powered message summaries and scheduling tools. Apple Mail uses AI for spam detection and message organization.
To promote the new features, Yahoo partnered with streetwear brand Anti Social Social Club. They created a limited clothing collection called “Anti Email Email Club” with t-shirts and sweatshirts. The marketing plays on the idea that people hate dealing with email when it feels like work.
The company is betting that making email more like a mobile game will attract younger users who grew up with apps like TikTok and Instagram. Research shows that 70% of Gen Z and Millennials check their personal email multiple times per day. But nearly half say they have missed important events because their inbox was too messy.
Yahoo plans to roll out more AI features throughout the year. The company is also expanding the mobile app to more countries beyond the United States. Whether these changes will help Yahoo regain market share remains to be seen. The email market is dominated by tech giants with deeper pockets and more resources for AI development.
