Google is starting to push users to try out passkeys, a new login method that drops traditional passwords for a more smartphone-like experience.
In May, the company officially rolled out passkeys as an optional way to log into your account. Now Google plans on nudging users to adopt the login method as their “default” to sign in.
“This means the next time you sign in to your account, you’ll start seeing prompts to create and use passkeys, simplifying your future sign-ins,” the company wrote in a blog post.
To help make the passkey support mainstream, the company also says an option called “Skip password when possible” will appear in Google account settings. Toggling it on means Google sign-ins should surface the passkey login option instead.
Google and the rest of the tech industry are starting to push for the passkey support in an effort to phase out passwords, which can sometimes be easily guessed, stolen, or cracked with the aid of software programs. It doesn’t help that passwords can be easily forgotten, especially since consumers often use a large number of apps and websites.
In response, the tech industry developed passkeys. On the surface, the technology allows you to sign into a website or app using a fingerprint or facial scan, or by simply typing in a pin code to unlock access.
The security system works by creating a unique, private key that’s bound to the hardware, whether it be your laptop or smartphone. To sign in, a website will merely issue a digital challenge, which the private key onboard your device can authenticate. Hence, no password data is ever exchanged, preventing hackers from stealing the login credential.
“We’ve found that one of the most immediate benefits of passkeys is that they spare people the headache of remembering all those numbers and special characters in passwords,” Google added. “They’re also phishing resistant”.
That said, passkeys remain imperfect. Google, Apple, and Microsoft all support the technology. The problem is that passkeys on one platform can’t be easily shared over another. That means Apple, Google, and Windows devices need to store and maintain their own separate set of passkeys for logins.
Google also said it isn’t quite ready to ditch passwords entirely. But the company is hinting the day could be coming. “We know that new technologies take time to catch on — so passwords may be around for a little while,” the company said. “That's why people will still be given the option to use a password to sign in and may opt-out of passkeys by turning off ‘Skip password when possible.’”
To start using passkeys immediately, visit Google’s website dedicated to the login method.