Yahoo Mail to drop automatic forwarding option for free users

Yahoo's services were the pivotal point in the online life of many millions for over a decade, but today's brand and its services are barely shadows of their former selves. As a Yahoo user myself, I was never bothered with the repeated data breaches, but the fall of Yahoo Messenger and the excellent service provided by Google Mail (and others) made me forget about it. Although I sometimes received relevant emails to my Yahoo Mail address, a year or two ago my inbox was automatically emptied because I simply forgot to log in for over a year (or maybe it was 6 months?), taking away quite a few memories with it in the process.

Now, it looks like most of those who use the free version of Yahoo Mail should get ready to choose another free email service provider or get ready to shell out a few pennies — US$3.49, in fact — each month to keep using the automatic forwarding feature. This is the official statement that was recently published by Yahoo in its Help portal: "Beginning January 1, 2021, automatic forwarding of emails from your Yahoo inbox to a third party email account will no longer be a feature of free Yahoo Mail accounts. Upgrade to Yahoo Mail Pro or subscribe to Access + Forwarding to use the auto forwarding feature at this time."

Obviously, free email accounts will remain usable overall and no emails will be lost — at least as you remember to check your inbox from time to time — except the fact that forwarding to other addresses will stop working. Those who are already using Yahoo Mail Pro have nothing to worry about. 

Are you still using Yahoo Mail? Why? What is your favorite email service provider? Feel free to hit the comments section and share your thoughts with the rest of us.