Android owners told to switch on ‘passkey’ that stops thieves breaking into your apps
IF you’ve got an Android phone then you’ll want to turn on passkeys to keep your apps safe.
They’re an alternative to passwords and Google is trying to get everyone to use them for logging in.
Passwords are generally considered to be a terrible way to protect your accounts.
Thieves operating online – and even out in the real world – often hope to exploit the fact they’re often even to guess, or “crack’ with brute force.
So tech giants – including Google – worked to create a new way to log in called passkeys.
“Passkeys are easy to use and phishing resistant, only relying on a fingerprint, face scan or a pin making them 50% faster than passwords,” said Google’s Heather Adkins.
Passkeys work by letting you log in with just a fingerprint or face scan.
They’re designed to that they can’t be guessed, and they’re impossible to re-use.
Passwords can be leaked online – but a passkey can’t.
And people often re-use passwords because they’re easy to forget, or create simple ones that are more memorable.
Re-used passwords allow hackers to break into multiple of your accounts, and simple log-ins are easy to guess.
Passkeys have none of these problems, making them ultra-secure.
They’re already available on your Android phone, and they only take a few seconds to set up.
Google says that despite being out for just a year, passkeys have been used more than a billion times over 400 million accounts.
HOW TO USE PASSKEYS ON ANDROID
Google explains: “You can now use passkeys to sign in without using a password.
“To verify your identity and create a passkey, you need a biometric sensor, like fingerprint or facial recognition, PIN, or swipe pattern.”
“Your passkeys are saved and synced by your password manager, and you can use them to sign in on other devices.”
First, you’ll want to note that not all websites support passkeys yet.
However, more are adding support for them over time – and you’ll find that many major apps and services now offer them.
Go to the app you want to set up a passkey for, and then sign in.
DON'T PASS ON PASSKEYS!
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“Passwords are both hard to remember and in most cases, easy to guess.
“I would venture to say that most users (especially older users) will reuse passwords, simply because of all of the websites and apps that require sign-ins.
“While password managers do help, they are at best, a stopgap measure and do not offer full-ranging security for your login information.
“Passkeys offer the advantage of eliminating the need to enter an email address and password to log in.
“This is especially handy when users are logging in on an iPhone or Android device.
“Passkeys have multiple advantages over passwords. Passkeys cannot be shared or guessed.
“Passkeys are unique to the website or app they are created for, so they cannot be used to login elsewhere like a reused password can.
“Plus, passkeys cannot be stolen in a data breach, as the passkeys are not stored on the company’s servers.
“But are instead are a private key stored only on your device, where biometric authentication (like face ID or Touch ID) is required to use the passkey.”
If you’re not prompted to create a passkey at that point, go into the app’s settings and choose Create A Passkey.
You’ll then be guided through the process, which will involve using your phone’s unlock.
Once that’s done, you can simply sign in at any point.
Your passkey on Android phones can be saved to the built-in Google Password Manager.
If you’re trying to sign into a website on another device – like a Windows PC – then you can still use passkeys.
You’ll simply be prompted to scan a QR code with your phone’s camera, and then verify your log-in using its unlock.