With each data breach, our passwords lose more and more of their value, and despite being the foundation of digital device security, the industry is considering eliminating them. Even Google has begun testing for passkeys on Android and Chrome after an initial announcement in May.
Unlike a password, the passkey is automatically generated and never reused. However, the user experience is not much different from selecting a password saved on the Google password manager.
Google has started testing the use of passkeys in Google Chrome for Android, and the use seems to be very simple — when required, the browser will prompt us to create a new passkey and will allow us to confirm with any mode of unlocking the phone (fingerprint, face unlock).
Once created, the passkey will be synchronized with all devices associated with our Google account, just as it currently does for passwords. When we need to authenticate to a site or app, Google will ask us whether to use the passkey and preferred unlocking method.
However, when used on a PC, the passkey can also be scanned on the phone as a QR code to be activated and used. This new type of authentication will probably also be able to stop the phenomenon of password-stealing apps.
Google Passkeys are currently available in the Google Play Services Beta Channel and Google Chrome’s Canary Build. Still, the feature will take some time to become available to the general public.
