Google to Replace Passwords with Smartphones

Many people complain about passwords being such a leaky security system. If you are one of these people then Google may have just come up with the solution you have been searching for.

There are those who make do with passwords such as "123456" and the very popular "password." But not only are these passwords not clever, they are also very common. This means that any account with those types of passwords is at a high risk of being hacked. So if any of your important digital accounts use passwords similar to the ones mentioned above, it may be a good time to change them.

Google is not interested in you changing your password, however. The multi-billion technology giant is more interested in you abandoning the use of passwords altogether. You may think that they would use complicated technology such as biometrics or voice recognition, but the way Google plans to go about their plan is surprisingly simple.

Reddit user rp1226 has made a post with screenshots detailing how Google's new log-in system will work. "You authorize your phone to allow you to log in to your account," the Reddit user said. "You go into a computer and type in your email. Then you get a message on your phone to allow the login. If you hit yes, the computer logs into your Google account without a password."

This new technology is being tested for both Apple and Android devices. According to a report on the Washington Post, "The test works for both Android and iOS devices and users can still use their password to login as normal if they don't have their phone handy." They also went on record saying, " You can revoke access to the feature from a device at any time, according to a copy of documentation accompanying the test posted by [rp1226]."

However, there is a notable flaw in the system as anyone who uses a person's unlocked phone has access to their accounts if they enable this new technology. There is also other already prevalent alternative to passwords such as the aforementioned biometrics.