How to keep logged onto Yahoo mail?

November 28, 2006 10:23 PM

We keep getting kicked out of Yahoo mail (asking us to log back in again). We've set it to "ask every 24 hours"; we accept cookies. We've cleared cookies. We remain logged into other cookie-lovin' sites (i.e., Amazon). This happens in IE and Firefox. This happens on three different computers. What gives?
posted by stevil to Computers & Internet (12 answers total)

This happens in IE and Firefox. This happens on three different computers.

This would lead me to believe that the problem is on Yahoo's end. How long has it been happening? Do you have reason to believe that other Yahoo users are not experiencing the same problem?
posted by winston at 10:26 PM on November 28, 2006

This may be a deliberate security measure, to defend against what's known as a "Cross Site Request Forgery". For instance, that exploit has the potential for allowing someone else to send email through your Yahoo account, without either your knowledge or permission. One defense against that kind of thing is to force users to log in again whenever they want to use such a site, since the exploit doesn't know your password.
posted by Steven C. Den Beste at 11:51 PM on November 28, 2006

When you log in on one computer, It will log you off your most recent session on another computer.

*shrug*
posted by psyward at 12:54 AM on November 29, 2006

I have web hosting through Yahoo, and I have to log into it every damned time, even though it's set to Remember Me. And most of the time after re-typing my username and password, I'm prompted AGAIN for my password on the next page.

It's happened to me on Mac, PC, Firefox, Explorer, Safari, etc. It's a Yahoo thing. I'm sure they pass off the inconvenience and non-user friendliness to security concerns.
posted by wubbie at 12:54 AM on November 29, 2006

This is totally anecdotal, of course, but I think that Yahoo Mail is just slightly wonky right now. I've been having similiar logging-in problems for about a month. For me it's on my cell phone, and all I have to do is go back to a previous page and try again and it "remembers" I'm logged in. Obviously this isn't necessarily an option in your case.

(Also, for a couple of months now, whenever I add to my address book, Yahoo Mail forgets about all my other contacts. They're still there, but--for example--"mom" is no longer converted into my mom's email address when I hit Send. I have to open every one of my contacts, hit Edit and then Save, and all is well. Frustrating!)

What I'm saying is, I don't think it has anything to do with you.
posted by Ian A.T. at 1:12 AM on November 29, 2006

Are you required to log back in fully? Or is it just asking you for your password? I know that yahoo mail asks me for my password pretty frequently, but it remembers my yahoo ID (and I never have to provide my password for Flickr. Are my private photos less sensitive than my emails? I guess so).
posted by antifuse at 3:36 AM on November 29, 2006

It's a pain. It must do some good, because I find it aggravating as hell, even having to do it once per 24. Fortunately, I use opera and the Wand does all my password typing on any page it recognizes as a sign-in page, so it's just a click.... still, the delay quashes my flow.

If you are not using something similar, Opera moderates this particular type of headache a little and may be a suitable antidote, short of finding the real problem.
posted by FauxScot at 4:21 AM on November 29, 2006

Are you getting kicked out every 24 hours, or more frequently than that? If it's every 24 hours, then that's due to Yahoo expiring your login. I dont think there's anyway to avoid it.

(I use Greasemonkey (on Firefox) with a script to automatically log in (such as this one) as a workaround. )
posted by Boobus Tuber at 5:34 AM on November 29, 2006

I've actually just canceled my sbc yahoo! internet service because they so radically f*cked up my password for my e-mail address. I've had the same Yahoo! e-mail address for 8 years, with the same password, and like Ian A.T., about a month ago it just...stopped logging me in. It also said that since I only had four of the SIX answers to the login identifier, and I couldn't tell them *both* the secret question and the secret answer, it would not reset my password. Five calls to Yahoo! and SBC Yahoo! later, I finally just cancelled all of it. It was a magnificently frustrating experience. All the addresses and e-mails in that old address are lost forever, but I can't help that. Google/G-mail and SBC's arch enemy Road Runner get my business now.
posted by pomegranate at 5:35 AM on November 29, 2006

Response by poster: We're being asked for the password multiple times per email session. Not every 24 hours, more like every minute or two.

I do strongly feel it's a yahoo problem, but wondered if anyone knew something we were missing, or was experiencing the same problem, or (really reaching here) was able to get Yahoo to address it....
posted by stevil at 8:15 AM on November 29, 2006

That happened to me a few weeks ago, but only for a couple of days (if that). I say give it time, and it will resolve itself. It was highly annoying, though. I feel for ya.
posted by pyjammy at 9:26 AM on November 29, 2006

Response by poster: I do hope it goes away. It's been a few weeks here, or so.
posted by stevil at 8:10 PM on November 29, 2006