Google rolls out passkeys

Users can now access their Google accounts using passkeys, which the company says is a “simpler and safer” password alternative.

Google has started rolling out passkey support across Google Accounts on all major platforms as an additional option for users to sign in, alongside passwords and 2-Step Verification.

However, its goal is a “passwordless future,” the company said in an announcement released on the eve of World Password Day, which falls on May 4 in 2023.

“So maybe, by next year’s World Password Day, you won’t even need to use your password, much less remember it,” Google said in a blog post.

The search giant, along with companies like Apple and Microsoft, announced it was working on passkey support last year.

“While passwords will be with us for some time to come, they are often frustrating to remember and put you at risk if they end up in the wrong hands,” it said.

Passkeys allow users to sign into apps and websites much like they would unlock their devices – using biometrics such as a fingerprint, face scan, or screen lock PIN.

“And, unlike passwords, passkeys are resistant to online attacks like phishing, making them more secure than things like SMS one-time codes,” Google said.

Some analysts believe passkeys could be a temporary solution, with quantum computers expected to have little difficulty breaking public-key cryptography.