The passwordless future is here, one in which you don’t need to slap long strings of random characters into a form for account access (much less remember them). Well—kind of, as it’s still early days. Companies are moving toward a reality of logging in with just a phone and a safeguard like a fingerprint or a PIN, though. In that spirit, Dashlane announced on Wednesday it will begin allowing users to ditch their master passwords.
New users will likely see this option first in Dashlane’s password manager. According to a press release, the expected launch for new users is happening in the “coming months” on mobile. Meanwhile, this password alternative will reach existing users “later this year.”
Dashlane already began supporting storage of passkeys last summer, but that form of passwordless authentication won’t be powering the new login method. In an interview with The Verge, Dashlane’s chief product officer described passkeys as not “quite ready,” with the CEO sharing concerns about passkeys and difficulty moving between different operating systems. So despite Apple, Google, and Microsoft backing and promoting passkeys—and rival 1Password’s upoming implementation of passkey login this summer—Dashlane is striking out on its own with its password-free login.
The Passwordless Login process looks a lot like passkeys, however. While on your phone or tablet, you’ll be prompted to initiate the login with a PIN or biometrics (e.g., facial identification or a fingerprint). An secure exchange of encryption keys takes place between your device and the Dashlane servers, and then you’re in. It’s a form of authentication that shields more effectively against phishing and the use of easily guessed credentials.
Dashlane also plans to offer protection against account lockouts if you lose your authenticating device. You can regain access from another authenticated device, or through use of a recovery key if you don’t have one.
This week saw Google add a passwordless login to its accounts as well—and you don’t have to wait for it. Launched on Wednesday, passkey support is available now (and you can use our instructions for how to set it up). But don’t count the humble password out just yet. Until passkeys and other similar methods become widespread, passwords still require your attention and maintenance. Our easy tips for upping your online security can simplify that job, though.
Author: Alaina Yee, Senior Editor, PCWorld
A 14-year veteran of technology and video games journalism, Alaina Yee covers a variety of topics for PCWorld. Since joining the team in 2016, she’s written about CPUs, Windows, PC building, Chrome, Raspberry Pi, and much more—while also serving as PCWorld’s resident bargain hunter (#slickdeals). Currently her focus is on security, helping people understand how best to protect themselves online. Her work has previously appeared in PC Gamer, IGN, Maximum PC, and Official Xbox Magazine.