After launching in May, Google will soon encourage users to set up passkeys for Gmail, YouTube, and other first-party accounts.
With passkeys, logging into your Google Account just involves entering a username and then using the password on your phone or computer (PIN, fingerprint, face, etc.) to confirm the attempt.
Previously, the setup process involved manually navigating to g.co/passkeys. Google will soon start showing prompts to generate passkeys “the next time you sign in to your Google Account.” You need to create a Google Account passkey for every phone, tablet, laptop, and desktop, and passkeys eliminate the need for Google’s 2-Step Verification (2SV).
As part of this launch, users can still use their password via passkeys by turning off “Skip the password when possible” option. If you lose a device, you can revoke your Google account passkeys in Settings.
Since its launch, Google has found that “more than 64% of our users find passkeys easier to use compared to traditional methods like passwords and two-step verification (2SV).” People also think that passkeys are easier because the login process is said to be “40% faster than passwords.”
Google is working with partners to “enable passkeys across Chrome and Android platforms.” The goal is to eliminate passwords that can be shared, phished, and exposed in data breaches. This isn’t possible with passkeys, which is why the industry is pushing hard toward this password-free future.
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