The popular password manager company, 1Password, is finally rolling out its long-anticipated passkey management features — though it isn’t a full replacement yet.
Passkeys are ideally a replacement for passwords which lets people ditch the traditional method of keeping track of dozens of passwords that can be hacked, stolen, or forgotten. Millions of passwords are affected by data breaches every single day and companies around the world are working to find a better solution.
Developed by the FIDO Alliance, which includes tech goliaths like Google, Microsoft, and Apple under their belt, passkeys use biometric logins to achieve that goal. This lets you only log in to apps and services yourself using your device’s authentication features, removing the vital security flaws associated with passwords.
1Password isn’t attempting to completely replace passwords yet. This is because the technology simply isn’t capable yet and is still being adopted by different companies. So, they are creating a universal passkey system.
One of the problems that hold passkeys back is that they mostly operate on individual ecosystems, IE Apple’s passkeys only work for the Apple ecosystem. For passkeys to take on mainstream use, they need to have cross-platform functionality — 1Password is attempting to be ahead of the curve with its implementation of universal passkeys.
1Password is launching a beta on June 6, allowing anyone to download and try their passkey system out for Windows — mobile passkey management is still in development. In order to access the beta, you’ll need the 1Password browser extension (which is available on every major browser).
If you sign up for the beta, you’ll be able to log into your 1Password account using biometric logins like Apple FaceID, the fingerprint sensors of your laptops or Android phones, or Windows Hello. More features, such as replacing your master password with a passkey, will be rolled out in time.
Other password managers are shifting to passkeys as well, including Google and Dashlane.