The beginning of the end in the era of traditional codes (passwords) was announced by Google, announcing that from today it is launching other user identification methods.

In particular, those who have an account in any Google application will gradually be asked to completely remove the passwords they have been using and to put in place another type of verification system: either a local PIN or biometrics (fingerprint or facial recognition).

“Using passwords places a lot of responsibility on users. Choosing strong passwords and remembering them for all accounts can be difficult. Also, even the most familiar users are often misled and give their passwords to phishing attempts,” Google said in a statement.

Passkeys, on the other hand, are considered more secure, and within the framework of the FIDO Alliance – which was established precisely to develop and promote more secure authentication standards – Apple, Microsoft and other technology companies have already moved away from traditional codes.

After the passkey is defined by the user, each platform will request verification during log in or whenever it detects unusual activity on the account.

Passkeys will be stored on all compatible devices, including iPhones with iOS 16 software and Android devices with Android 9 software. According to Google’s announcement, passkeys cannot be written down in a notebook or accidentally leaked to malicious users aims.

It is noted that users will still have the possibility of temporarily accessing their account through a foreign device through the special option “use a passkey from another device”.

“We’re excited about Google’s announcement today that is clearly moving toward passkey adoption, both because of Google’s size and because of the breadth of the app itself, which essentially allows any Google account user to use passkeys,” said Andrew Shikiar, executive director of the FIDO Alliance. “I also believe that this application will act as a great example for other service managers and appears to be a turning point in accelerating the adoption of passkeys,” he added.

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