New York
CNN
—
Google is looking to make passwords obsolete by prompting users to create passwords to unlock accounts and devices with a fingerprint, face scan or PIN.
Google said on Tuesday that passwords are easier to remember, faster to use and provide greater security. The company unveiled support for Passports in May but announced at a time Blog Technology will now become the go-to option during password generation.
“[W]”I would encourage the industry to decentralize passwords — making passwords rarer and eventually obsolete,” Google wrote.
Google will continue to support traditional passwords, and users can skip passwords altogether by turning off their account’s “Skip password when done” option.
Passkeys are now used as a password replacement for apps including YouTube, Search, Maps, Uber and eBay. According to the blog, WhatsApp is also adding the capability.
The FIDO Alliance, a security consortium that counts many technology companies as members, previously developed standards for passkeys. Microsoft, Apple, and Google are all trying to make passkeys a reality.
Apple introduced its Passkey option with the release of iOS 16, allowing people to use the technology in apps including Apple Wallet, and Passkey support first rolled out to Chrome and Android devices in October 2022.
