By Manish, who makes LocalInbox · Facts checked November 2026
Yahoo's own app for iPhone is free, carries advertising, and sells Yahoo Mail Plus and Pro plans. LocalInbox is another app for Yahoo Mail on iPhone and iPad, on the App Store, with no ads: it puts Yahoo beside Gmail, iCloud and any IMAP account, sorts every message as it arrives, and has Apple Intelligence write summaries and replies on the device. It connects with an app password, and you pay once.
Yahoo Mail on an iPhone today
Yahoo Mail: Your Email & Inbox is free on the App Store. Its listing says it contains advertising and offers in-app purchases, among them Yahoo Mail Plus and Yahoo Mail Pro plans.
Yahoo's help pages also show how to add a Yahoo account to Apple's Mail app on iPhone.
How LocalInbox works with Yahoo Mail on iPhone
- It connects over IMAP with an app password made in your Yahoo account's security settings.
- There are no ads in LocalInbox, and you pay once rather than for a plan.
- Search on Server asks Yahoo for older mail that isn't on your iPhone yet.
- Summaries, suggested replies, Draft with AI, Rewrite and Ask your mailbox are written by Apple Intelligence on the iPhone or iPad itself (iOS 26 on a supported device). There's no AI cloud, and no LocalInbox server.
- The password is kept in the iOS Keychain and sent only to the mail server.
Set up Yahoo Mail on iPhone
- Make an app password for LocalInbox on Yahoo Account Security. One you made for your Mac works too.
- Open LocalInbox on your iPhone or iPad. With no account yet, it opens on Add Account; later, it's in Settings › Accounts.
- Choose Yahoo Mail and enter your address.
- Paste the app password, and tap Add. LocalInbox fills in the server settings itself and starts syncing.
- Already have the account in LocalInbox on your Mac? Choose From your Mac in Add Account instead, and scan the code in the Mac's Settings › Accounts › Set Up iPhone…. There's nothing to paste.
Server settings and what to do if it doesn't connect: Yahoo Mail IMAP and SMTP settings, with an app password.
Sources
Facts about Yahoo Mail's own apps were checked in November 2026 and can change. Facts about LocalInbox come from its own documentation.
Questions
Does LocalInbox show Yahoo's ads?
No. LocalInbox gets your mail over IMAP, which carries no ads, and has none of its own.
Why an app password?
Yahoo asks for one for mail apps that connect over IMAP. Make it in your Yahoo account's security settings, and revoke it there at any time.
Do I have to sign in again if I use LocalInbox on my Mac?
No. On the Mac, open Settings › Accounts › Set Up iPhone…. On the iPhone or iPad, Add Account › From your Mac scans the code. Check that both show the same four digits and allow it on the Mac, and your accounts come over your Wi-Fi with their passwords, encrypted, never through the internet. Proton Mail stays on the Mac. https://localinbox.app/features/set-up-iphone-from-mac
How much does LocalInbox for iPhone cost?
The app is a free download with a 7-day trial with every feature, started with a tap. Then one purchase unlocks it for good: $29.99, in the app or on localinbox.app. No subscription.
Do I pay again for the iPhone if I have LocalInbox on my Mac?
No. Bought LocalInbox for Mac? Your licence key unlocks it here too. It's one licence for the Mac, iPhone and iPad, on up to 3 devices. Buying in the iPhone app instead costs the same and gets you a licence key for your Mac in Settings › Unlock LocalInbox.