Google has started rolling out Passkey – an alternative to passwords for signing in to Google accounts. Passkeys are supposed to be a simple and secure way to sign in to apps and websites and rely on the user’s biometrics.
Announcing the update through a blog post, Google said “Last year – with the FIDO Alliance, Apple And Microsoft — we announced that we’ll begin work to support Passkeys across our platforms as an easier and more secure alternative to passwords. And today, ahead of World Password Day, we’re rolling out support for Passkeys across Google Accounts across all major platforms.”
What are passkeys?
Passkeys provide users with a hassle free sign in experience as they are not required to remember long passwords for different websites. Passkeys let users sign in to apps and sites the same way they unlock their device: with a fingerprint, face scan, or screen lock PIN.
And, unlike passwords, passkeys are more resistant to online attacks such as phishing. They are more secure than things like SMS one-time codes which can be intercepted by hackers. With Passkey, a user’s authentication will be synchronized across all of their devices running a Google Account through the cloud using cryptographic key pairs.
Passkeys will be available along with password and 2FA login methods.
The feature is rolling out to Google users starting today, who will start seeing the Passkey option when signing up for a new app/website. It’s available to personal Google Account holders for now as Google says that administrators will soon have the option to enable the passkey for their end users during sign-in for Google Workspace accounts.
In related news, Google has announced that it will soon be removing the lock icon from the address bar and replacing it with a sort of tune icon usually associated with Settings or other controls. Google says the new icon will be more clickable and not ‘trustworthy’.
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