Trusted Reviews is supported by its audience. If you purchase through links on our site, we may earn a commission. Learn more.

Google is testing password-less sign-ins using only a phone

Google is testing a scheme which would enable users to log into their personal accounts using just their smartphone.

The feature would make it easy for users to authenticate their accounts by acting upon a pop up notification delivered to their mobile devices.

Password-less authentication was first spotted by Reddit user rp1226, who was one of the invited parties.

The Redditor, real name Rohit Paul, duly accepted and explained how it works, as well as posting screenshots of the new functionality (see above).

He wrote: “You authorize your phone to allow you to log into your account. You go into a computer and type in your email. Then you get a message on your phone to allow the login. If you hit yes, the computer logs into your Google account without a password.”

See also: Google Play Music: 10 tips

On Tuesday, Google confirmed it is trialing the tool on a small selection of its user base.

The company told VentureBeat: “We’ve invited a small group of users to help test a new way to sign-in to their Google accounts, no password required.”

According to reports, both Android and iOS users are being asked to trial the new functionality.

Google’s efforts to kill bad passwords seems to be gathering speed.

Why trust our journalism?

Founded in 2003, Trusted Reviews exists to give our readers thorough, unbiased and independent advice on what to buy.

Today, we have millions of users a month from around the world, and assess more than 1,000 products a year.

author icon

Editorial independence

Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.

author icon

Professional conduct

We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.

Trusted Reviews Logo

Sign up to our newsletter

Get the best of Trusted Reviews delivered right to your inbox.

This is a test error message with some extra words