Apple, Google and Microsoft Join Together for Passwordless Logins

Apple, Google and Microsoft announced on Thursday a joint effort to support a passwordless sign-in standard, created by the FIDO Alliance and World Wide Web Consortium.

The goal is to allow secure signing into websites and apps without a password across devices and platforms, in a more convenient way. Existing password management is cumbersome and can result in duplicate passwords by consumers, resulting in headaches when accounts are hacked or stolen.

The new passwordless sign-in standards plan to offer an end-to-end passwordless option, allowing users to sign in using a PIN or biometrics such as face or fingerprint identification. The idea will combat phishing versus traditional passwords and existing two-factor security technologies, usually sent over SMS. The best way to manage your logins, for now, is to use a password manager such as 1Password.

“Just as we design our products to be intuitive and capable, we also design them to be private and secure,” said Kurt Knight, Apple’s Senior Director of Platform Product Marketing, in a statement. “Working with the industry to establish new, more secure sign-in methods that offer better protection and eliminate the vulnerabilities of passwords is central to our commitment to building products that offer maximum security and a transparent user experience — all with the goal of keeping users’ personal information safe.”

Consumers can expect these new capacities to debut across Apple, Google, and Microsoft platforms in 2022, say the companies.