Although passwords are still quite common in all facets of the tech world, there are some steps being taken to move in a different direction. Google is arguably the biggest and most impaction name to set the tone as it has rolled out the Google Passkeys feature.
With the help of Google Passkeys, you’ll be able to sign in to your account directly through your device’s screen lock, either through PIN or your biometrics like a fingerprint. Essentially, you will not have to use your password or two-factor authentication.
This feature was initially introduced last year and within months, it began to be rolled out to all users. As of now, every user having a Google account can use Google Passkeys on their Windows, Android, and MacOS devices.
How do they work?
When you set up a passkey for the first time, it’ll generate a key pair. The first key gets stored on your device while the second key will be used on the website or service where you’re trying to use these passkeys. Once you’ve got an authentication prompt on your device, you will need to verify your credibility through fingerprint or PIN.
Once this happens, the keys that are stored on your would get shared with this service. If that matches the key store there, then you will be granted access to that service.
How to set up Google Passkeys?
- Go to the Google Passkeys page before signing in through your account
- After that, click on “Use Passkey” or for using a new passkey, you can click on “Create a Passkey” at the bottom
- You will get the Create a passkey for your Google Account prompt
- Tap on the “Continue” option
- Next, you will need to authenticate yourself using biometric data like a Fingerprint
- Do this and you’ll get the passkey created message
- You should click on “Done” to close the dialog box
