Microsoft’s passkeys shift steers over 1B users towards biometrics

Microsoft is rolling out a new sign-in experience — and considering the vast number of Windows users around the world this will mean a global change in quality-of-life (one hopes it is an improvement, of course).

In a blog post, Microsoft said it is making authentication “more modern, simple, and secure” for more than a billion Microsoft accounts. This is because people all over the world use Microsoft accounts to sign in to Windows, Xbox, Microsoft 365, among others.

By the end of April, most Microsoft account users will see “updated sign in and sign-up user experience” (UX) flows, according to the computer giant, for web and mobile apps built using Microsoft’s Fluent 2 design language.

The design language simply means users will see a “streamlined, modern design,” according to Microsoft and with new authentication methods, such as passkeys, proliferating, the company has sought to redesign the sign-in user experience. Users will get to choose a theme, with most sign-in screens supporting a Light Theme or Dark Theme, which are enabled automatically based on a user’s preference.

Microsoft is leaning into passwordless. Over the past few years the software firm has been including the ability to completely remove the password from your account, and supporting passkey sign-in instead of using a password. Microsoft says its new UX is “optimized” for a passwordless and passkey-first experience.

What this means is that users will be relying more on biometrics to sign in to their Microsoft accounts – whether this is face biometrics or fingerprints – or there’s still PIN if users prefer that or if the other methods are not working.

When users sign up for a new Microsoft account they will enter their email address, which will probably be one they already have and use regularly. Then, the user will verify that email with a one-time code, and this will become the “default credential” for the new account — “so you start off passwordless,” the company says.

After the user signs in, they will be invited to add a passkey. The passkey will become the default sign-in choice whenever possible, Microsoft says, because passkeys are “more secure and three times faster than passwords.” The trend of passkeys is growing and picking up pace as the likes of Microsoft and Amazon move on from the password while governments are also making use of biometric passkeys, which offer better security.

Article Topics

biometric authentication  |  biometrics  |  identity verification  |  Microsoft  |  passkeys  |  passwordless authentication  |  user experience