Goodbye Passwords Even on Google Accounts: How Passkeys Work and How to Enable Them

Big G took a big step towards A.I A future without a password for Google accounts. The company has in fact announced that it is immediately available on all major platforms passkeya new encryption solution that allows you to secure account access with a pre-authenticated device.

Interested users can Instantly switch to passkeys, thus giving up your password or two-step verification process. Google explains the feature like this:

Passkeys allow you to securely sign in to your Google Account using your fingerprint, face, screen lock, or device security key.

What are passkeys and alternatives to passwords for Google Accounts?

Pass keys represent aA more secure alternative to traditional passwords, and has already been considered by other companies, such as Microsoft, as determined by the FIDO Alliance. They can replace various login systems, such as 2FA or SMS verification, with a local PIN or biometric authentication device (fingerprint sensor or face ID) for access. The security of the passkeys lies in the fact that all biometric data and the passkeys themselves remain locally and are not shared with the service provider associated with the account (in this case Google). This guarantees a An extra layer of securitysince the passkey is associated with the device and there is no password that a malicious actor could steal through targeted attacks (such as phishing).

When you add a passkey to a Google account, the platform will start asking for authentication each time you log into the same account, or when potentially suspicious activity is detected. Passkeys can be stored on all compatible devices (here The full list), such as iPhones with iOS 16 or Android 9 devices or later, and can be shared through iCloud or password managers like Dashlane and 1Password (support coming soon). Google also gives access to your Google Account to non-owned devices, using a special option that allows you to create one-time access without transferring the password to unknown devices.

Passkeys can also be quickly revoked through your Google account settings, for example if you lose the device associated with the passkey or if you suspect your account has been stolen.

The passkey approval process probably won’t be very fast, which is why Google will still support traditional authentication methods for some time. Obviously, users who do not have products with built-in biometric sensors are not required to change devices to access their Google account. Like many other companies, even Big G Prepare for a “passwordless” futureto encourage users with the latest devices to make the switch now.

Google launched support for Chrome last December passkeyHowever, the adoption of services has not been so remarkable. In short, the future without a password is not yet very close despite the indisputable advantages in terms of security, privacy and protection. In addition to another advantage, with passkeys, users no longer need to remember a different password for each service.

How to enable passkeys on your Google account

To activate passkey authentication on your Google account, you just need to sign in to this address Using a web browser, after logging in. Google also displays an alert that allows the feature to be enabled when it detects that you are signed in on a compatible device, thus the sign-in process Create passkey For the different devices you have in your possession, it should be done almost automatically, with very few user interactions. By accessing the page, it is possible to generate new passkeys for the device in use, so that you will no longer have to enter your account password itself.

Google also indicated in the official post that The feature is not yet available for Google Workspace accountsbut admins will “soon” be able to enable passkeys on managed clients while logged in.