Soon, you might not need to remember passwords to access apps and websites

Passwords? Who wants to use a password? You always forget your passwords, they force you to tax your memory and spell everything correctly. Yuck. Nobody wants a password. Ok, ok. Yes, this is based on the late Steve Jobs' comment about the stylus on that now-famous January day in 2007 when he introduced the iPhone.

But the truth is, while we all need to protect our identity and verify ourselves when we go online, trying to remember which password you used for which app can be a pain when you reach a certain age (which some of us, including yours truly, passed a while ago). Yes, there are apps developed to make things easier. But Google and Apple might be part of a group working on a new solution for this password thing and it could eventually be made available for the Android and iOS platforms.

According to 9to5Google, the FIDO Alliance (which has nothing to do with your pooch but actually stands for Fast IDentity Online) has been working on a replacement for the password. You might recall that two-factor authentication (2FA) has been recommended as a solution for those who have a tendency to use weak passwords such as, well, "password," continue reusing their passwords over and over, or make passwords too complex to remember such as using the ingredients to produce Coca-Cola or the roster of the 1965 New York Yankees.

Actually, in 2FA, a text is sent to your handset that contains a code that you type into the app or website and this verifies that you are who you say you are because no one but you would ever have your phone (note the sarcasm). Well, that is the theory that 2FA is based on. But FIDO has a goal to replace passwords using cryptographic keys. When the phone owner unlocks his device whether by using a fingerprint scanner, facial recognition, or a passcode, he will be asked to sign in using a "passkey."

As the FIDO Alliance says, "During registration with an online service, the user’s client device creates a new key pair. It retains the private key and registers the public key with the online service. Authentication is done by the client device proving possession of the private key to the service by signing a challenge." The "passkey" is stored on your device and the cloud sync service associated with the operating system that your phone uses.

According to strings of code discovered by 9to5Google in the latest version of Google Play services (version 22.15.14), Android users' "passkeys" will be saved to their Google account as suggested by these strings: