In a significant stride towards bolstering user security and convenience, Amazon is rolling out passkey support for web browsers and iOS mobile shopping apps. This innovative feature empowers customers to establish passkeys in their Amazon settings, granting them access to their accounts using familiar authentication methods such as their face, fingerprint, or device PIN.
Dave Treadwell, Senior Vice President of E-commerce at Amazon, explained that this initiative aims to offer customers an amalgamation of ease of use and heightened security in their Amazon interactions. While traditional passwords are not fading into oblivion, Amazon perceives passkeys as a promising step towards a more secure and passwordless internet.
The new feature is presently accessible to all Amazon customers using web browsers. Moreover, it is gradually being introduced in the iOS Amazon Shopping app, to extend support to the Android version soon.
How Does Passkey Work?
Passkeys hold an advantage over traditional passwords as they are less susceptible to being jotted down or guessed, thereby reducing the risk of unauthorized access. When a customer utilizes a passkey on their device, it provides robust evidence that they possess the device and have the authority to unlock it. This eliminates the need to remember intricate passwords or employ easily discoverable information such as names or birthdates.
Customers can sign into apps and websites using passkeys just as they unlock their devices, whether through a fingerprint, face scan, or lock screen PIN. This approach offers an additional layer of security compared to passwords and one-time codes delivered via text messages, which are vulnerable to phishing attacks.
Amazon's embrace of passkey support harmonizes with the broader industry trend of reinforcing security while simplifying user authentication.
