Amazon recently updated its platform to allow users to sign into their accounts using Touch ID, Face ID, and Passkey.
Support for Passkey was added on iOS 16 and allowed already-identified users to use their biometrics as authentication. Some Mac keyboards had this feature where Touch ID could be used to identify a user and do the same thing. Amazon senior VP Dave Treadwell said that the support ‘gives customers ease of use and security simultaneously’, and while passwords are still allowed, Treadwell believes that it’s an ‘exciting step in the right direction.’
Passkeys were introduced to the world in 2022, but it was Apple who made the technology more popular. The World Wide Web Consortium and FIDO Alliance created Passkeys, and both Apple and Google added support for it in 2023.
Passkey support is now available today on browsers, and will gradually roll out to the Android app and iOS app.