The passwords we use to access our online accounts are about to be a thing of the past as we know them. With a view to improving the protection of its users’ data, Google has created a new, safer and much more comfortable way to enter the personal accounts of its services: passkeys.
The technology giant began testing this method a few months ago through several users. An official statement on its blog last May made Google’s objective clear: to replace annoying alphanumeric passwords – often difficult to remember and relatively easy to break – with a new method based on facial recognition systems and fingerprint.
The new passkeys are an alternative to classic passwords, allowing you to unlock accounts and devices with a fingerprint, a facial scan or a PIN number. These passwords are easier to remember, faster and most importantly, more secure.
These access codes are also a more convenient option for the user, since they avoid having to remember the different passwords used for each of the multiple internet services to which we are registered. Likewise, they offer greater protection against mass phishing attacks and targeted attacks, surpassing the security of temporary or one-time passwords or SMS.
This new method has already been introduced in business use platforms such as Google Workspace and Google Cloud, and is expected to arrive very soon in Google’s most popular services, such as Gmail email, the Drive file storage service or the Chrome browser.
“This means that the next time you sign in to your account, you’ll start to see prompts for creating and using passkeys, making your future sign-ins simpler,” says Google, which will continue to support traditional passwords for the time being.
Google has not been the only one to implement this novelty. Apple created its own passkey with the release of iOS 16, allowing its users to use this technology in all applications, including Apple Wallet.