Today Google has proudly announced “the beginning of the end of the password”. That’s because, for the first time, it’s begun rolling out passkeys, which it dubs “the easiest and most secure way to sign in to apps and websites and a major step toward a passwordless future”.
Those are big words indeed. Passkeys let you sign in to apps and websites the same way you unlock your phone: with a fingerprint, a face scan, or a screen lock PIN. Thus, passkeys are resistant to online attacks like phishing, making them more secure than things like SMS one-time codes.
However, keep in mind that if you use passkeys your screen unlock PIN is now the weak link – if that’s something like 1234 or 0000 and someone steals your phone, they’ll have access to all your accounts protected by passkeys too.
Starting today, passkey sign-in will be an option for Google Account users. Services like Docusign, Kayak, PayPal, Shopify, and Yahoo! Japan have already deployed some level of support for passkeys too.
If you want to try passkeys out for your Google Account, head over here. And don’t forget to set a strong, multi-digit PIN on your phone. For Google Workspace accounts, administrators will soon have the option to enable passkeys for their end-users.
