I quit passwords and so can you

One of the least convenient aspects of the modern digital age is having to deal with account passwords and other pesky internet login credentials. Passwords are a nuisance to keep track of, and they often require a frustratingly long string of digits and special characters in order to reach their security thresholds.

Big tech companies are all too aware of this unsatisfactory end-user experience, which is why they’ve been rallying behind a new form of authentication in recent years: passkeys. Passkeys are a form of passwordless login, relying instead on on-device biometrics and PINs to secure account access.

Passkeys are highly secure and tamper-resistant, utilizing advanced cryptography and promising to reduce the occurrence of data breaches, malicious hacking and phishing attempts, and other major security risks. The Fast Identity Online Alliance (FIDO) is working closely with key companies and platform holders to accelerate the transition away from passwords, and the results are beginning to bear fruit.

Today, every major operating system offers native support for passkeys, and a growing number of websites, social media platforms, and e-commerce sites are on board with the broader passkey initiative. Seeing the writing on the wall, I recently went ahead and switched over as many of my own account passwords into a passkey as possible, and the process proved to be a fairly frictionless one.

If you’re interested in reaping the benefits of a passwordless lifestyle, then there are some factors and best practices worth keeping in mind. The following tips laid the groundwork for my own seamless passkey transitional process, and hopefully, they can help you avoid potential frustrations and pitfalls as well.

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Take stock of all your digital account credentials

Consider offloading your logins into a dedicated password manager

As with most things in life, it pays to stay organized. Rather than jumping headfirst into the world of passkeys, I’d recommend consolidating all your existing username and password credentials into a centralized location first. This will help you keep track of all your account logins, and it will make it easier to stay on top of the accounts you’ve switched over to a passkey, as well as the ones that are currently still pending.

There are a number of excellent password manager apps out there, and most of them provide basic functionality free of charge. Some of my personal favorite options include:

• Proton Pass
• BitWarden
• KeePass
• 1Password

Most password managers are already primed for use with passkeys — they’re able to securely store and access your passwordless logins much in the same way as they would a traditional password. Some password managers even let you securely share your passkeys with trusted friends, spouses, or family members directly from within their interfaces.

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