Google Facilitates the Use of Passkeys on Desktop

Users can now save passkeys to Google Password Manager on desktop, in addition to Android devices.

This new capability allows users to sync passkeys securely across all their devices, Chirag Desai, product manager, Chrome at Google, wrote in a Thursday (Sept. 19) blog post.

“Up until now, you could only save passkeys to Google Password Manager on Android,” Desai wrote. “You could use them on other devices, but you’d need to scan a QR code using your Android device.”

“Today, we’re rolling out updates that make it even easier to use passkeys across your devices,” Desai added.

Users can now save passkeys to Google Password Manager from Windows, macOS, Linux and Android, according to the post. ChromeOS is currently available for testing in beta.

Once the passkeys are saved, they will automatically sync across the user’s devices, so users can sign in by scanning their fingerprint, per the post.

“Signing in to your favorite sites and apps on any device should be as quick and easy as unlocking your phone,” Desai wrote in the post. “That’s where passkeys come in. They’re safer than passwords and easier to use, letting you use your fingerprint, face or screen lock to securely sign in to apps and websites — moving us one step closer to a passwordless future.”

The development and usage of passkeys is arguably one of the most important security stories of the year, PYMNTS reported in May. They have been at the center of recent product introductions from Visa, Mastercard and other payments and financial services companies.

When shopping online, passkeys replace the need for passwords or one-time codes, enabling more streamlined, secure transactions, Mark Nelsen, senior vice president and global head of consumer payments at Visa, told PYMNTS CEO Karen Webster in an interview posted in May.

“We’ve all had times when you try to buy something and it doesn’t go through and you have to call your bank and they tell you there’s something suspicious about the transaction,” Nelsen said. “With Passkeys, if you do the facial scan immediately upfront, you can do that real quick check. That means all these transactions will go through seamlessly and you no longer have to confirm your identity after the fact.”

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