1Password has begun testing a way to access the app without its namesake password, adding an option to use newer passkey technology instead. The change, which uses a quick biometric check to unlock and use your password vault, could help improve the widely used password manager’s security.
The software’s primary job is to create, store, sync and autofill passwords for all the apps and websites you use. Until now, its password storage vaults have been protected by its own password (in combination with a secret key the first time you used 1Password on a new device). But now 1Password developer AgileBits has begun a private test that’ll let participants unlock their password vaults with a passkey instead.
The test works on iPhones, Macs and web browsers, but it’s a private beta and testers will have to set up a new account to try it. Android, Windows and Linux support will come later, as well as the ability to upgrade an existing account, the company said. 1Password aims to release the technology to everyone by the end of 2023.
