Individuals with Google Accounts can use a new feature to log in sans a password.
That can happen now that Alphabet-owned Google has added passkeys as a password-free option for users. They can be implemented for personal Google Accounts, according to Google Security Blog post.
Access to the feature started as of Wednesday, giving users a new option over a password or two-step verification.
Google Account holders can make using their fingerprint, face recognition or a local PIN to unlock their device a method for logging in when using passkeys, per the blog post. The company said they help keep users safe from “phishing and any accidental handling that passwords are prone to, such as being reused or exposed in a data breach.”
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Storage of the passkey takes place on a user’s device, according to Google.
The company noted that passkeys are “still new and it will take some time before they work everywhere.” In the meantime, plugging in a password or using another log-in method will stick around for personal Google Accounts.
Passkeys should not be made for shared devices, Google said.
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The tech giant described the feature’s implementation as a “big step in a cross-industry effort that we helped start more than 10 years ago.” Android and Google’s browser, Chrome, got it in 2022.
Steps to boost usage of the technology have also been taken by Apple and Microsoft.
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Google also noted a security benefit of passkey technology being relatively new: it is able to “pay closer attention to the sign-ins that fall back to passwords.” It said it will look at those more and more in the future.
