Dashlane, one of the most popular password management apps, is doing away with its so-called master password in favor of a new password-free solution. The company announced the news in a blog post, explaining that the new system will rely on biometrics or a PIN code.
The new system aims to address a number of the weaknesses that plague normal passwords, such as phishing attempts, social engineering, and password forgetfulness. So instead of using a standard password to access your Dashlane database, you’ll authenticate using biometrics or a PIN code. Dashlane explains:
- Users can create a Dashlane account on a mobile device without a Master Password, and they can still securely access their account with biometrics or a PIN code.
- Dashlane will introduce a new, faster device setup flow using a registered device as part of the move to a passwordless login.
- In the event of total device loss, users can regain access to their account with a recovery key.
In a certain sense, Dashlane’s announcement today is disappointing as the company isn’t supporting the passkey standard. Instead, it’s spun up its own passwordless login system. In an interview with The Verge, Dashlane’s chief product officer Donald Hasson explained that this decision was based on the fact that passkey technology “just wasn’t quite ready” for this feature.
Dashlane does, however, offer support for storing passkeys for other sites and services. You just can’t use a passkey to protect your entire Dashlane account, which does seem counterintuitive to a certain degree.
Dashlane says that it is currently testing the new passwordless login system and plans to fully release the feature sometime later this year. The news also comes as Google announced full support for using passkeys to sign into your Google Account, one of the biggest expansions of the passkey standard we’ve seen so far.
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