Google Testing Password-Free Logins
Google Testing Password-Free Logins
Google announced this morning,
A new way to sign into your Google account without having to type in a password.The idea is similar to Yahoo’s recently launched “Account Key,” which also offers a password-free means of signing in involving a push notification sent to your phone that then opens an app where you approve the log-in.
Passwords are often the weakest parts when it comes to securing users’ accounts. This new password-free login option is about speeding up logins by offering a different way of signing in altogether.
You only have to enter your email address when you’re signing into your Google account. Afterward, a notification will appear on your phone asking you if you’re trying to sign in from another device. Approve the login by tapping “yes,” and you’re in.
The test was first reported by a Reddit user Rohit Paul, which was then spotted by the blog Android Police. According to Paul, he was sent an email invitation to join a test group being given access to try the new technology on their own devices.The group is called “Sign-In Experiments at Google,” and is found here on Google Groups. While the link to the group is public, you can’t view or participate without a direct invitation.
After accepting the invite and joining the group, the email explains that you’re then able to sign in without entering a password but you can continue to use your typed password if you choose.
A Google spokesperson confirmed:
“We’ve invited a small group of users to help test a new way to sign-in to their Google accounts, no password required. ‘Pizza’, ‘password’ and ‘123456’—your days are numbered.”
In addition, Google says it may choose to ask for your password as an additional security measure if it notices anything unusual about your current login attempt. (And it’s helpful to be able to use your password in case your phone is dead, or goes missing.)
Google tells testers they are able to turn off this new means of signing in at any time.Only a small number of users are being invited to test this new feature for the time being. Google did not comment on when it plans on expanding access to more testers or the broader public. The password-free sign in process works on both iOS and Android at present.
