Amazon is the latest big name to jump onto passkeys, which let you sign into sites and services without using a password.
Passkey support is rolling out on the Amazon website and the iOS Amazon Shopping app, while the Android version is in the works and is “coming soon".
This means you’ll be able to sign into Amazon using the biometrics of your phone or laptop – face unlock or a fingerprint scanner – or your screen unlock pin code rather than a traditional password.
“Our research shows that consumers are tired of the hassle and complexity of passwords, and they are excited to embrace passkey sign-ins, which enable them to simply and securely access online services and stands to turn the tide against the ongoing plague of data breaches and identity theft,” said Andrew Shikiar, executive director of Fido Alliance in Amazon’s post on passkeys.
How to use passkeys at Amazon
Want to try it out? You can set up passkeys in the Login & Security part of the Your Account section on Amazon’s website.
“It works with the same face, fingerprint or PIN that you already use to unlock your device. We don't store your face, fingerprint, or PIN data,” said Amazon.
2023 is quietly turning into the year of passkeys, but this tech has been around for a while.
Apple talked about passkeys at its WWDC show in June 2022, as the feature was introduced in iOS 16. Up-to-date iPhones currently run iOS 17.0.3.
Google published its big post on passkeys in May 2023, heralding them “the beginning of the end of the password”, although the first integrations of passkeys in Chrome and Android began in October 2022.
What are passkeys?
Passkeys are the friendly face of the Fido Alliance’s authentication tech. It formed more than a decade ago in February 2013, and claims to be both “the answer to the password problem” and more phishing-resistant than a traditional password.
They can also be used in tandem with two-factor authentication, one example of which is where you are sent a text with a one-time code when you try to login to something.
Apple, Google and Microsoft announced a joint plan to use passkeys back in May 2022, and we’re seeing the fruits of that support right now.
A week ago, WhatsApp announced its support for passkeys, which are already supported by PayPal, Nintendo and TikTok, among others.
