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Google pushes passkeys, aims to make traditional passwords 'obsolete'

Google says that using passkeys to unlock accounts or devices will offer a 40% faster login experience and be more secure than traditional passwords.

A cursor moves over Google's search engine page.
Don Ryan / AP
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Google is prompting users to create passkeys, the growing passwordless login technology, as the standard option as part of its mission to render traditional passwords "obsolete."

In a blog post Tuesday, Google stated that passkeys, requiring no password memorization, are faster and more secure.

While the company initially introduced support for passkeys in May, users are now being prompted to use this option in lieu of passwords.

“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,” the Google blog read. “We’ll continue encouraging the industry to make the pivot to passkeys — making passwords a rarity and eventually obsolete.”

Google says that using passkeys to unlock accounts or devices with fingerprint, face scan, or pin numbers will offer a 40% faster login experience than traditional passwords.

"Since launching earlier this year, people have used passkeys on their favorite apps like YouTube, Search, and Maps, and we’re encouraged by the results," the blog post read.

While their goal is to remove passwords completely, this is a process that takes time, Google admits. So if you see a prompt, do not be worried; Google will allow people to keep their passwords and opt out of passkeys by disabling the "skip password when possible" feature.

Google this: The world's No. 1 internet search engine turns 25
Google this: The world's No. 1 internet search engine turns 25

Google this: The world's No. 1 internet search engine turns 25

Google now processes 99,000 search requests per second. This equates to 8.5 billion daily searches and about 2 trillion searches worldwide each year.

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