14 DAY TRIAL // Everybody hates passwords, and for good reason. To come to the aid of people who keep forgetting their passphrases every time the wind blows, Google is now experimenting with a new method of allowing users to sign into their accounts, involving no passwords, but requiring users to own a smartphone.
This new system has been under testing for quite some time at Mountain View, but recently the company has also started bringing in random Google users to help test it out on a larger userbase.
One of the users who has gotten an invite to this service is Rohit Paul, who has decided to spoil Google's secret plans and post some screenshots on Reddit, detailing how the service works.
Blabbermouth user reveals Google's new passwordless login system
According to Mr. Paul, whenever a Google user wants to log into their account from a desktop computer, they'll only be asked to enter their email address associated with the Google account (usually Gmail).
Instead of entering a password, the user will then be prompted to check their phone, while a code (usually a number) is also shown to the user on the desktop.
On their phone, the user will see a simple notification, which, when opened, asks the user if they're really trying to access an account, or if it's an accidental login, or, even worse, an attempt to hijack their account.
Users will rely on their phone to log into Google accounts
If the user clicks yes, they'll be presented with three codes, and they'll have to tap the one that's also shown on their screen. That's it! Google will authenticate the user on the desktop, with no password needed.
Unfortunately, passwords are not going away altogether, with Google also saying they'll be kept around just for those cases where it sees unusual activity coming from user accounts, like a high number of failed login attempts.
There's no release timeline associated with this new login system, so we'll just have to wait until Google deems it ready for public use.
If you're interested in more details about the impact of passwordless authentication, we’ve recently spoken about this very same topic with Jon Gelsey, CEO of Auth0, a company specialized in providing zero-friction authentication and authorization services.
