Google, Apple & Microsoft Working On Passwordless Login Method

Photo Credit: Google

Signing in to any account requires you to type in a username and password. In the near future, that might change because Google, Apple and Microsoft are working on creating a new authentication method that will do away with the tedium of conventional methods. The Search giant announced this in conjunction with World Password Day.

It’s supposed to reflect a turning point in the way our online credentials are authenticated. Google’s plan is to implement passwordless support for Fast Identity Online (FIDO) sign-in standards in Android & Chrome. Since Apple and Microsoft have also jumped on board the bandwagon, the company believes that this will simplify sign-in tasks across platforms.

Traditionally, you’d need to type in your login credentials to access a site or app. The new method will do away with that and instead rely on you unlocking your phone as a form of authenticating said login. But this will only need to be done once, instead of repeatedly for various websites or apps.

The phone will store a FIDO credential called a passkey (based on public key cryptography), this is what’s used to authenticate your login attempt. Google says it’s far more secure than what we currently use and is only visible to your online account when the phone is being unlocked.

Said passkey will be stored as a cloud backup, so in case you lose your phone, the information can be downloaded onto the new one, once it first syncs with the server. This novel authentication method is meant to help rid us of the laborious sign-in process we are stuck with, today. That said, Google hasn’t released a clear roadmap on when we will begin to see the fruits of its labour.