Credential Manager for Android goes public so app developers can support passkeys
Google announced today the public rollout of Android's new Credential Manager beginning on November 1st, 2023. The Credential Manager will make it easier for Android users to sign in to apps securely with passkeys, a new passwordless authentication standard.
The company's new Credential Manager API will allow developers to automatically guide users to the most convenient login method for their account, including passkeys. It will also allow users to easily switch between multiple accounts and to choose their preferred password manager to sign in to apps, even if the app doesn't natively support passkeys.
Source - Google
Passkeys has been the subject of much conversation lately in the tech world, with tech giants such as Google, Apple, and even Amazon singing its praises from the mountaintops while expanding support for their use across all their platforms. That's no surprise, though, considering passkeys provide a more secure and convenient way to sign in to apps and websites than traditional passwords, not to mention that they are resistant to phishing attacks and are easier to remember.
However, up to now there hadn't been an easy way to use passkeys across all your apps, as support was not as widespread and it was complicated for App Developers to support multiple sign-in methods. Now, with the public API available for Google's Credential Manager, App Developers will be able to more easily adopt their use and integrate them in their individual apps, without having to worry about maintenance and integration costs.
Several apps already support passkeys and have been able to do so by integrating Credential Manager, which has been in testing over a year, including Uber and Whatsapp. The hope is, though, that this support will grow now that it will be more widely available.
Source - Google
Passkeys add an additional layer of security for WhatsApp users. Simplifying the way users can securely get into their account will help our users, which is why the Credential Manager API is so important. – Nitin Gupta, Head of Engineering, WhatsApp
Credential Manager is a significant step forward for passwordless authentication on Android. By making it easier for developers to support passkeys and for users to manage their login credentials, Google is helping to make the Android ecosystem more secure and convenient.
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