Passkeys are evidently the future of authentication on the internet, fusing the benefits of old-school passwords, biometric authentication, and two-factor authentication. After the FIDO alliance and its members set the ball rolling last year, we’ve witnessed some ofour favorite password managershop on the bandwagon andintroduce passkey support. FIDO Alliance member, 1Password, is one among the early adopters, and today, the company announced support for passkeys on Android.
What is a passkey, and how is it different from a password?
Passkeys and their speedy encryption are already starting to replace passwords: Here are the big differences
Passkeys are touted as the future of passwords because they are virtually phishing-proof, and make sign-ins more convenient for users. The dangers of password reuse are eliminated as well, because when you authenticate via fingerprint, a unique cryptographic key stored on your device is matched with the one stored with the service. These keys are complex character strings, so you will need a reliable password manager to store them for you.
1Password rose to the occasion and startedbeta testing passkey supporton Android in December last year. The credential manager already supports passkeys on desktop browsers on Windows and iOS, and is now expanding to Android. Toget started, users need to have the latest version of the 1Password app installed on their device runningAndroid 14or newer.
In the app, tap theWatchtoweroption in the bottom navigation bar, and you should see a list of all the apps installed on your device, which support passkey authentication. 1Password recommends starting withWhatsApp, Amazon, and Uber. If you’re signing up in an app, just remember to set up a passkey if available, and save it to 1Password. For now, you cannot authenticate on websites using a passkey stored in the 1Password app while browsing on an Android device, because Google hasn’t released the API to enable passkey use in Chrome for Android.
However, unlikeGoogle Password Managerwhich works only on Chrome, Chrome OS, and Android, 1Password proudly claims it works on most popular operating systems, and also offers extensions for popular web browsers such as Chrome, Brave, Firefox, etc. With the growing support for authentication via passkeys in apps and on websites, 1Password’s latest feature should help users on Android stay secure online without sacrificing convenience.
That said, passkeys aren’t without their issues, and certainly aren’t immune to attacks, so your online safety still depends on careful usage of this new authentication technology, much like passwords.
Our top 5 passkey tips and tricks to keep you and your data secure
Passkeys are replacing long and complex passwords, and these tips will help you avoid problems and enjoy the benefits of easier logins
