Now, you can sign into some Google services without password
What's the story
In a bid to make sign-ins more secure (and convenient), Google is making some of its services password-less. The search giant has announced that people using Chrome on Android will be able to log into its web products using their fingerprint, and it would no longer be needed to type passwords manually. Here's all about the new capability.
Feature
Signing into Google services using fingerprint
Just recently, Google shared a blog post noting that Android phone users will be able to use the lockscreen authentication method of their device to sign into its web services. So, if you are using a fingerprint-based lock, Google's cloud services would sign you in using the same. Notably, other authentication methods - PINs, patterns - would also work in the same way.
Services
Services supporting fingerprint authentication still remain unknown
While we expect the functionality to work the same way how Google Pay authenticates a user with their fingerprint, it is not clear which Google web services will support the capability. You can try it by heading over to passwords.google.com and viewing passwords saved by Google but the company says more Google and Google Cloud services will support the authentication method in the future.
Security
This is way more secure than entering passwords
The ability to use fingerprint to sign in would not only save you from the mess of remembering complex passwords but also eliminate the risk of phishing/hacking. Basically, the credentials for the login will be stored locally on the device and attackers wouldn't be able to steal it from company servers or trick you into giving them away on fake Google pages.
Information
Plus, it uses FIDO2 technology
Google also says the authentication technique for signing into web services has been built with FIDO2, the technology that lets Google use Android devices as 2FA security keys, and WebAuthn protocol, which is the open standard that sites use for secure web-based logins.
Compatibility
You'll also need a phone running Android 7 or newer
Having said that, it is important to note that the feature would only work when you open Google services on Chrome for Android. Plus, you will also need a phone running Android 7 Nougat or newer version to use the feature.