Google's Passkeys to Replace Passwords
2023-05-12
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1There is good news for people who hate passwords.
2Google has added a different way to log in to its services.
3This new feature employs the use of "passkeys."
4Passkeys represent a safer alternative to passwords and texted confirmation codes.
5Users will not ever see the passkeys directly.
6Instead, an online service like Gmail will use them to communicate directly with a trusted device such as your phone or computer to log you in.
7All a person has to do is confirm their identity on the device.
8This confirmation, also known as verification, can take several forms.
9It could be a PIN unlock code, a fingerprint or face scan, or a physical security dongle.
10Google designed its passkeys to work with different kinds of devices.
11You can use them on iPhones, Mac and Windows computers as well as Google's own Android phones.
12Thanks to smart hackers and human weakness, passwords are just too easy to steal or defeat.
13And making them more complex just opens the door to users defeating themselves.
14In short, passwords put security and ease of use directly at odds.
15In addition to getting around these problems, passkeys have one additional strength over passwords.
16Passkeys are specific to websites, so hackers cannot steal a passkey from one website and then use it to steal from a person's bank account.
17The first step to using passkeys is to enable them for your Google account.
18On any trusted phone or computer, open the browser and sign in to your Google account.
19Then visit the page g.co/passkeys and select the choice to "start using passkeys."
20The passkey feature is now activated for that account.
21If you are on an Apple device, you will first be asked to set up the Keychain app if you are not already using it.
22It securely stores passwords and now passkeys as well.
23The next step is to create the actual passkeys that will connect your trusted device.
24If you are using an Android phone that is already logged into your Google account, you are most of the way there.
25Android phones are ready to use passkeys, though you still have to enable the function first.
26On the same Google account page noted above, look for the "Create a passkey" button.
27Pressing it will open a window and let you create a passkey either on your current device or on another device.
28There is no wrong choice; the system will simply notify you if that passkey already exists.
29If you are on a PC that cannot create a passkey, it will open a QR code that you can scan with the cameras on iPhones and Android devices.
30You may have to move the phone closer until the message "Set up passkey" appears.
31Tap that and you are on your way.
32From that point on, signing into Google will only require you to enter your email address.
33If you have gotten passkeys set up correctly, you will simply get a message on your phone or other device asking you for your fingerprint, your face or a PIN.
34Of course, your password is still there.
35But if passkeys take off, the odds are good you will not be needing it very much.
36You may even choose to delete it from your account someday.
37I'm John Russell.