The end of the password? Google now favors the access key for logging into personal accounts

Picture: Google.

If you’ve ever complained about having too many passwords to remember, Google’s new initiative will delight you. In fact, Google hopes that you completely drop the passwords.

As of today, Google is making the “passkey” (access key in French) its preferred connection parameter. Instead of the traditional password, Google account holders are encouraged to create an access key and start using it now. By default, the “Ignore password when possible” option will be activated in your Google account.

If you are not ready to give up your old password yet, you can disable the setting. In this case, you will not be prompted to create an access key.

What is the difference between password and access key?

The access key is more or less a password, but it uses its own authentication method depending on the device. For example, it can be based on a fingerprint sensor, a PIN code or even facial recognition – like when you unlock your smartphone, in short.

Once created, your access key consists of two parts: one is on the device used to confirm your identity, and the other stored on the website you want to access.

Apple and Google already use access keys extensively on their devices, as do most third-party password managers. So it’s not totally new. But this is the first time that a big name in the industry has tried to put passwords on the back burner by offering users to use access keys by default.

A faster and safer method

In the blog post announcing this change, Google points out that access keys are 40% faster than passwords, and above all more secure. “Since their launch earlier this year, access keys have been used in applications such as YouTube, Google Search or Google Maps. And the results are encouraging. »

The objective, says Google, is to encourage other companies to use access keys and, eventually, to make passwords obsolete. Of course, this is going to take some time, and passwords are going to continue to be part of our lives for a while. But if you are tired of trying to remember your login details on random accounts, or if you are still using the basic password with which you registered on Myspace, this is an encouraging sign for your digital well-being.

If you want to use access keys more, you don’t have to do anything, since Google has enabled this setting by default. If you prefer to stick to the traditional method for a little longer and prevent Google from continually asking you to change, click on your profile picture and then on Manage your Google account. Then go to the menu Security. There you will find the settings regarding passwords and access keys.

Source: ZDNet.com