In an announcement yesterday, Google joined other industry giants in its new support for the Passkey standard. Calling the move 'the beginning of the end of the password', Google goes on to talk about the benefits of the Passkey system.
It's now a year since Microsoft, Google, Apple, and the FIDO Alliance got together to announce they would work together to support Passkeys on their own platforms, in an effort to make an 'easier and more secure alternative to passwords.' Only days before world password day, Google looks to end the password once and for all – no more password123 for Grandma.
What is a Passkey?
A passkey is a 'new way to sign into websites.' They're designed to be easier to use and more secure than a normal, typed-out password, instead, using the same inputs that you might use to unlock your devices. That includes fingerprints, face scans, or lock screen pins and patterns. These are more resistant to 'online attacks like phishing, making them more secure than things like SMS one-time codes' says Google.
Passkey support has been on iOS for some time now, coming in iOS 16. It's also now baked into the latest version of iPadOS, as well as MacOS Ventura. Google has already brought the update to its Chrome and Android systems, but now it's bringing it to Google account users as well.
You'll need to set it up on the Google Passkeys website, where you'll be talked through the process. Passwords and 2-factor authentication will still work for now, as Google says 'the change to Passkeys will take time.' After all, the process is still very new for such a massive part of Google's business, and users may also need some time to get used to it. This is a massive step in making the internet a safer space to browse, and any efforts to make it such should be applauded.
