Google deals passwords another mortal blow with switch to passkeys

Google is switching the default sign in method for Google accounts from passwords to passkeys.

In its latest efforts to make passwords obsolete, the search and mobile giant says it is going from simply supporting passkeys to encouraging their use at the expense of passwords.

A passkey is an alternate security method used to access your account – such as a fingerprint, facial recognition and, finally a pin sent to/accessed from your mobile device. Google says they’re 40% faster, on average, than using a password, and more secure to boot.

As such, Google is going to start prompting users to set up passkey when they go to sign into their Google account via Gmail, YouTube and loads more. The key change is the default enabling of the “skip passwords when possible” toggle in Google settings.

“We’ve found that one of the most immediate benefits of passkeys is that they spare people the headache of remembering all those numbers and special characters in passwords. They’re also phishing resistant,” Google says.

Google points out that apps like Uber and eBay are advising users to adopt passkeys, while WhatsApp is next. The goal, from Google’s perspective, is to make passwords completely obsolete.

In a blog post, the company adds: “We’ll keep you updated on where else you can start using passkeys across other online accounts. In the meantime, we’ll continue encouraging the industry to make the pivot to passkeys — making passwords a rarity, and eventually obsolete.”