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World desk5 min

Why Yahoo Shows Certain Recommendations—and How to Improve Them

Yahoo uses different recommendation controls across News, its mobile homepage, and Search. Find the right setting for the stories or personal results you want to change.
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Yahoo recommendations depend on where you see them. In the Yahoo News App, selected topics help personalize feeds; Yahoo’s mobile homepage says its news and recommended articles are based on your interests; and Yahoo Search may show personal results drawn from Yahoo Mail, such as package delivery notices or deals. The controls differ by product, and Yahoo’s help pages do not explain a complete ranking formula or promise how quickly changes take effect.

First identify where the recommendation appears

Check whether the item is in the Yahoo News App, on the Yahoo mobile homepage, or in Yahoo Search. Yahoo documents different personalization inputs and settings for each. Its help pages do not specify the relative weight of recommendation signals, a complete ranking formula, or a general update time, so a particular story cannot always be traced to a stated cause.

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Change recommendations in the Yahoo News App

Adjust the topics in your feed

Yahoo says selected topics personalize the News App feed and also become navigation tabs. You must keep at least five topics selected. Selecting interests does not exclude every other subject: Yahoo says important news from other topics may still appear. To change the selection:

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  1. Open the Yahoo News App and tap Profile.
  2. Open Settings, then Content preferences.
  3. Tap Manage interests, select or deselect topics, and tap Continue to save.

Yahoo Help describes this feature as: “The topics you choose personalize your feed in the Yahoo News App. You’ll also still see important news from all topics.” Yahoo News App: Manage interests and content preferences.

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Filter publishers or words in article titles

If a particular source or topic is the problem, you can filter it without changing the broader privacy setting for activity-based content personalization.

  • Block a publisher: Go to Profile → Settings → Content preferences → Block publishers, then select the publisher. Return to the list to unblock it.
  • Block a title term: Go to Profile → Settings → Content preferences → Block keywords & phrases, add a phrase, and save. Yahoo says matching article titles are removed from For you and topic feeds. Its help page allows one keyword or phrase at a time.

Yahoo Help explains News App content preferences.

Check the activity-based personalization requirement

The News App has a separate setting called Articles and Media Based on Your Activity. Yahoo says that if this is set to Don’t Allow, the app displays a message requiring permission for content personalization to use the app. To allow it, follow Go to privacy settings → Your privacy controls → Articles and Media Based on Your Activity → Manage, then allow Use my activity to make my content on Yahoo more relevant. Return to the app and reopen it. Yahoo says you can use Yahoo News on desktop or mobile web if you do not want to change this setting. Yahoo Help: Articles and Media Based on Your Activity.

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Change recommendations on the Yahoo mobile homepage

Yahoo says, “We customize the news on your Yahoo homepage and recommended articles based on your interests.” This describes the mobile homepage; it is not a published explanation of how individual stories are ranked. To see less from a publisher, sign in through a mobile web browser, swipe left on one of its headlines, and tap Show Less. To restore that publisher, open Profile → Manage Publishers, tap the X beside the publisher, then tap Done. Yahoo Help: customize your Yahoo homepage.

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Remove personal results from Yahoo Search

When you are signed in, Yahoo Search may use information from Yahoo Mail to show personal results. Yahoo’s examples include package delivery notices and deals or coupons; it says connected Gmail or AOL accounts may also provide results. These Search results are separate from News App feed interests and homepage publisher controls.

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  • Content looks and sounds incredible: Watch shows on Prime Video, Netflix, and more on the vibrant Full-HD 11" screen and enjoy room-filling spatial audio, crisper vocals, wider sound stage, and up to 2x bass versus Echo Show 8 (2023 release). With Alexa+, find the name of that song you love and discover new shows based on your preferences.
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  1. Open Yahoo Search Preferences.
  2. Deselect the personal results you want removed and save.

Yahoo warns that personal results may be visible to someone using a shared device if you remain signed in. It recommends signing out when finished or opting out of personal results. Signed-in Search preferences can be changed from a computer or mobile device; if you are not signed in, preferences are saved only on that device. Yahoo Help: Personalized results in Yahoo Search and Yahoo Search Preferences.

Understand the separate commercial-email privacy control

Yahoo says commercial emails—structured messages from retailers and other organizations—may be used to personalize ads and content across Yahoo sites and services. It says it does not analyze emails from friends and family for this personalization purpose. Yahoo identifies Commercial Email Insights and Analysis in the Privacy Dashboard and Controls page as the setting to change. According to Yahoo, opting out does not remove ads or content; they may simply be less relevant. These are Yahoo’s descriptions of its practices, not an independent audit. Yahoo’s explanation of commercial email data and connected experiences.

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Which setting should you use?

Where you see it Relevant control What the control changes
Yahoo News App feed Manage interests Selected topics used to personalize the feed; at least five must remain selected.
Yahoo News App feed Block publishers or keywords and phrases Filters selected publishers or matching article titles from For you and topic feeds.
Yahoo News App Articles and Media Based on Your Activity Activity-based content personalization; Yahoo says the app requires permission for this feature to be enabled.
Yahoo mobile homepage Show Less; Manage Publishers Reduces or restores recommendations from a publisher.
Yahoo Search Search Preferences Removes selected personal results, which may include Mail-related delivery notices and deals.
Ads and content across Yahoo sites and services Commercial Email Insights and Analysis Changes use of commercial-email data for personalization; opting out does not remove ads or content.

Account data controls are different from recommendation settings

Yahoo’s account privacy controls let you view and manage information associated with products and services, and request a data download. Yahoo says a requested download can take up to 30 days to become available, and once available can be retrieved for 30 days. This is an account-data access process, not a control for tuning recommendations. Yahoo Help: manage and download account data.

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If a menu has moved

Yahoo’s interface labels and product behavior can change. Look for the named feature in the current app or account settings, and make sure you are changing the control for the same Yahoo surface where the recommendation appears. A publisher filter, a Search personal-results setting, and an activity-based privacy choice affect different things.

Best Value
Amazon Echo Show 5 (newest model), Smart display, Designed for Alexa+, 2x the bass and clearer sound, Glacier White
  • Alexa can show you more - Echo Show 5 includes a 5.5” display so you can see news and weather at a glance, make video calls, view compatible cameras, stream music and shows, and more.
  • Small size, bigger sound – Stream your favorite music, shows, podcasts, and more from providers like Amazon Music, Spotify, and Prime Video—now with deeper bass and clearer vocals. Includes a 5.5" display so you can view shows, song titles, and more at a glance.
  • Keep your home comfortable – Control compatible smart devices like lights and thermostats, even while you're away.
  • See more with the built-in camera – Check in on your family, pets, and more using the built-in camera. Drop in on your home when you're out or view the front door from your Echo Show 5 with compatible video doorbells.
  • See your photos on display – When not in use, set the background to a rotating slideshow of your favorite photos. Invite family and friends to share photos to your Echo Show. Prime members also get unlimited cloud photo storage.

Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.

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