Big Tech companies, including Google, Microsoft, and Apple, have announced plans to expand support for the FIDO Standard. The FIDO Alliance is an open association that has created a set of standards to increase the interoperability of sign-in methods. The shared objective is to move toward a universal authentication system that doesn’t rely on passwords.

Apple joined the FIDO Alliance in early 2020. The new FIDO Standard is the brainchild of the FIDO Alliance and the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C). According to the recent announcement post, the new standard will allow websites and apps to authenticate users using an end-to-end passwordless system. So, when presented with a sign-in screen on a website or app, users will be able to confirm their identity using a commonly used biometric authentication system on their device, such as Face ID on the iPhone.

The new system is touted to be faster and “radically more secure” in its operation. The Alliance highlights that password-based login systems are prone to security breaches. Most people tend to use simple passwords, reuse passwords across websites, and don’t enable two-factor authentication (2FA). The FIDO standard could make people and their accounts less vulnerable to phishing attacks. It also eliminates the need for 2FA.

The current implementation of the FIDO Standard across Apple, Google, and Microsoft products require password authentication before a passwordless sign-in method can be enabled. The new standard will allow users to enable the passwordless sign-in option on all their devices without tediously enabling it individually for each website and app.

Moreover, the feature will be agnostic of the platform or web browser used to access the app or website, requiring authentication. Another key benefit of the new standard is the ability to authenticate a new device using another device that already has your FIDO credentials stored.

Apple did not reveal when expanded FIDO support will be available for users on its platforms. However, it is likely that we will get to know more at the upcoming worldwide developer conference (WWDC) in June.