Google Wants to Eliminate Passwords Forever

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Alright, so the headline here is what we call "hyperbole" in the word business. But it's actually not that far from being the whole truth.

Android Police reports Google is currently testing out a system in which users logging into their Google accounts will no longer have to enter a password. Instead, after setting up your Google account on your phone, you'll only have to enter your email address on a separate device, which will then trigger a message being sent to your phone. You'll just have to confirm on your phone that it's actually you logging in. But that's not tough, unless you're Leonard in Memento.

The test phase first surfaced on a reddit thread posted by Rohit Paul, user rp1226, who was selected as a beta tester for the new security feature. Google confirmed to Android Police it's currently testing the feature on both Android and iOS devices.

"We've invited a small group of users to help test a new way to sign in to their Google accounts, no password required. 'Pizza', 'password' and '123456'—your days are numbered," the company said in a statement.

The new setup is similar to Google's current 2-step verification, but in this case, you obviously don't have to enter your password. While it may seem lacking on the security front, if you've got a passcode or fingerprint security on your phone, well, you're pretty safe.

So now, the only thing preventing you from replying to that all-important fantasy football email is having your phone on you. And at this point, who goes anywhere without one?


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Ryan Craggs is Thrillist's Senior News Editor. He's firm believer in 2-step verification, and Follow him @ryanrcraggs.