Google moves to make passwords obsolete replaced by “passkeys”

Password-based authentication are being replaced by passkeys
Passkeys to replace dozens or hundreds of passwords 
Passwords can be guessed and stolen

When you log in to your Google account, you’ll get a prompt to create a passkey and start using it for login instead of relying on your Gmail address and password.

Google will be turning on the “skip password when possible” option in account settings, which is essentially the passkey green light.

Users who don’t want to kill their password just yet will still be able to turn that setting off so they don’t receive the prompts.

When you use passkeys on your Android device, they’re stored in your Google Password Manager. Passkeys are securely backed up and synced between your Android devices. Create a passkey to simplify your sign in. When you sign in to your Google Account, your available passkeys are listed.

Passwords have inherent security problems because they can be guessed and stolen. And since it’s so difficult to keep track of dozens or hundreds of passwords, users often reuse the same passwords on multiple accounts, making it easier for attackers to unlock all of those accounts in one fell swoop.

Passkeys are specifically designed to address these issues and dramatically reduce the risk of phishing attacks by instead relying on a scheme that manages cryptographic keys stored on your devices for account authentication.

Google points out that passkey support is expanding across other apps and services. Apple and Microsoft both support passkeys. And companies like Uber and eBay recently launched passkeys, and they’re coming to WhatsApp soon.