You can now use fingerprint or screen lock instead of passwords when visiting certain Google services thanks to FIDO2 based authentication

Google has announced a FIDO2 based local user verification for Google Accounts, for a simpler authentication experience when viewing saved passwords for a website. Basically, you can now use fingerprint or screen lock instead of passwords when visiting certain Google services.

This password-free authentication service will leverage the FIDO2 standards, FIDO CTAP, and WebAuthn, which is designed to “provide simpler and more secure authentication experiences. They are a result of years of collaboration between Google and many other organizations in the FIDO Alliance and the W3C” according to a blog post from the company. This new authentication process is designed to speed up the process of logging into Google accounts as well as being more secure by replacing the password typing system with a direct biometric authentication system.

How this works is that if you tap on any one of your saved passwords on passwords.google.com, then Google will prompt you to "Verify that it’s you," at which point, you can authenticate using your fingerprint or any other method you usually use to unlock your phone (such as using a pin number or a touch pattern). Google has not yet made it clear which Google services could be used by the biometric method; the blog post cited Google's online Password Manager, as the example.

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Source: Google

Google is also being cautious about data privacy, noting, “Your fingerprint is never sent to Google's servers - it is securely stored on your device, and only a cryptographic proof that you've correctly scanned it is sent to Google's servers. This is a fundamental part of the FIDO2 design.

This sign-in feature is currently available on all Pixel devices. It will be made available to all Android phones running 7.0 Nougat or later "over the next few days.

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