In theory, a move to passkeys would greatly enhance security and remove a need for what Google describes as ‘band-aid’ measures such as two-factor authentication and personal verification questions. — Google
Back in May of this year, Google introduced passkeys – essentially a replacement for passwords – to allow for simpler logins to Google accounts.
Now, the search engine giant has made passkeys the default login method for Google account users, prompting them to make the switch from traditional passwords.
For those unfamiliar with what exactly passkeys are, they basically function as a new way to authenticate sign ins to websites and apps using a Fast IDentity Online (FIDO) credential stored on a computer or smartphone.
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That credential will only be shown to the online account that a user is trying to sign in to when the device it's stored on is unlocked, and the user's identity is verified by the device's pin or biometrics.
In simpler terms, users can access their Google accounts by just scanning their fingerprint or face on a device or by entering a PIN, similar to how they would normally use those things to unlock a smartphone.
To use the feature, users will first need to create a passkey for the specific account by going to g.co/passkeys.
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From there, click on the blue “get passkeys” button and log into the Google account if it's not already logged in. Then simply click on the “use passkeys” button, which will immediately enrol the device being used as a passkey.
If this is being done on a desktop computer that does not support creating passkeys, a button that says "create a passkey" will be shown instead, requiring the use of a separate smartphone to create the passkey on.
Selecting the option for iPhone, iPad or Android device will bring up a QR code on the page, which needs to be scanned by the device a user wants the passkey on.
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Once the device has been verified as a passkey, users will need to keep Bluetooth connectivity enabled in order for the smartphone to connect with the computer when using a passkey to log in.
While Google has announced that it would be making passkeys into the default account login method as of October 10, in LifestyleTech's testing, account sign in still asks for a password first, so the change may be rolling out in stages.
Google has also included the option for users to opt-out of passkeys with the "skip password when possible" toggle.
In theory, a move to passkeys would greatly enhance security and remove a need for what Google describes as "band-aid" measures such as two-factor authentication and personal verification questions.
This is due to passkeys using FIDO credentials, which are stored locally on a device, requiring that anyone attempting to log into an account have access to the specific device that the credentials are stored on.
Google itself has previously described passkeys as “the beginning of the end of the password”, and is working alongside other members of the FIDO Alliance such as Apple and Microsoft to make passkeys the new standard.
In an announcement post on its blog, the company says it will continue encouraging the industry to shift to passkeys and eventually turn passwords into a rarity or even obsolete.
