Google’s password manager will soon offer a new feature: transferring access keys to a new smartphone, making the new authorization mechanism even easier, according to Android Authority, whose authors examined the Google Play Services 25.13.31 beta APK file.
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An access key is a modern alternative to the traditional authorization method, which requires entering a login and password. Access keys are stored, for example, on mobile devices and are used together with authentication tools. Thus, if you have an iPhone, you can log in to a compatible site via FaceID or fingerprint scanning.
Exporting and importing credentials has become a key feature for password manager software; a similar feature for access keys would be a big step forward. In 2024, the FIDO Alliance, the organization responsible for developing the technology, announced that it was working on a protocol that would allow for exporting and importing them; now, it seems, Google has decided to implement this feature.
Numerous references to importing and exporting access keys have been found in the app’s code, with indications that a mechanism is being developed to prevent them from being uploaded to potentially dangerous apps. There is no official release date for this feature, and Google has not yet confirmed that it will be available at all.