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Google is rolling out passkey support to Workspace and Cloud Identity customers. It’s an open beta that requires users to manually opt in or enable passkeys as an alternative to passwords while signing into Workspace apps. The new feature could take a couple of weeks to reach all eligible users globally.
Passkeys are a new sign-in method that replaces traditional passwords. This tech is seen as a more convenient and secure alternative to the age-old method that we have been using to sign into our online accounts. Unlike passwords, you don’t have to memorize or securely store your passkeys. Your device automatically generates passkeys for supported apps and websites and stores them locally.
You can access your accounts by simply unlocking your phone or computer using a PIN, fingerprint, or other unlocking options. No need to manually enter a password. Since passkeys are stored locally, data breaches won’t compromise your account. A handful of companies have added support for passkeys over the past few months, including PayPal, Dashlane, and Yahoo. Google rolled out support for personal accounts early last month. It’s now bringing the tech over to professional users as well.
Google Workspace admins can now allow users to use passkeys
According to Google, Workspace admins can now allow users within their organizations to use passkeys for signing into Workspace apps, skipping passwords. The feature is available to all Workspace and Cloud Identity customers but is turned off by default. Admins require to manually enable it following the steps outlined here. Until then, users can only create and use passkeys as a 2-Step Verification (2SV) method. They cannot entirely skip passwords during sign-ins.
Users who have passkeys enabled by their Workspace admins can visit g.co/passkeys to start using passkeys as alternatives to passwords. As said earlier, it may take a couple of weeks (starting on June 5) for the feature to reach everyone globally, for both Rapid and Scheduled release domains. The same page also lets you create passkeys for your personal Google accounts, passkey support for which is already available widely.
“Passkeys have been designed with user privacy in mind. When a user signs in with a passkey to their Workspace apps, such as Gmail or Google Drive, the passkey can confirm that a user has access to their device and can unlock it with a fingerprint, face recognition, or other screen-lock mechanisms,” the company said in a blog post. “The user’s biometric data is never sent to Google’s servers or other websites and apps.”
