Amazon Hops on the Passkey Train. Here’s How You Can Set Yours Up

Joining the passwordless movement, Amazon announced earlier this week that you’ll now be able to use passkeys to log in to your Amazon accounts. The tech giant joins a slew of companies who are saying goodbye to passwords and opting for passkeys instead. 

Switching to passkeys isn’t mandatory for Amazon customers, the shopping giant said, so if you’re not ready to make the switch, you can keep using your passwords. But if you’re interested in ditching your passwords for good, you can go ahead and set up your Amazon passkey right now. 

Here’s what to know about Amazon’s adoption of the password alternative. For more, here’s how Apple’s adopting passkeys and what Google is doing to ditch passwords.

What is a passkey? 

Passkeys are a new, secure and easier way to log in to a service or website using biometric authentication like a fingerprint or face scan (or other methods, like a PIN) instead of a password. You might already have a bit of experience with passkeys. For example, if you have Face ID set up on your iPhone, some apps allow you to to use Face ID to sign in instead of typing your account password.

According to backers of passkeys, it’s a more secure method of logging into your accounts than with traditional passwords and is much less susceptible to phishing attacks. Passkeys can be more convenient than keeping track of all of your passwords, let you log in usually with just a click instead of several taps and eliminate the need for two-factor authentication codes, which can clog up your inbox or messages app. 

Who else is implementing passkeys? 

Amazon is the latest in a string of tech companies that have either axed passwords or given customers the option to use a passkey instead of a password. In adopting passkeys, the online retailer joins the likes of Google, Nintendo and Apple in passwordless support.

Which Amazon services work with passkeys now? 

Right now, Amazon has only rolled out passkeys to its primary retail website. 

In a response to CNET’s request for comment on where users could take advantage of passkeys, Amazon said “Passkey support is available globally today for all Amazon customers using browsers.” The company indicated that more support would be rolling out to the iOS Amazon Shopping app and that the Android Amazon Shopping app would be receiving passkey support in the near future. 

The company also said that it “will be adding passkeys to more apps in the future,” so users of Amazon-owned companies like Goodreads and Twitch could expect to see passkey support at some point in their future, too.

How to set up a passkey on your Amazon account

If you’re interested in ditching your password and opting to use a passkey for your Amazon account, it’s easy to set up. Again, passkeys aren’t mandatory for Amazon customers, so if you feel more comfortable using your password, you won’t have to worry about changing over right away.

To set up a passkey, all you have to do is go to your Account page and select Login & Security. 

Once in the Login & Security menu, scroll down to the Passkeys tab and select the Set Up button. 

This should bring you to another screen, where you will select Set Up again. 

After selecting Set Up a second time, follow the onscreen instructions that are specific to your device or browser to set up your passkey. 

After completing these steps, you can say goodbye to your passwords and use your passkey to log in to your Amazon account. 

For more, here’s how to use passkeys to login to your Google account and the best password manager for 2023.