Amazon Passkey usage reaches new high of 175 million users

Having adopted passkeys as an alternative form of secure login for users 2023, Amazon says usage has now surpassed 175 million customer taking advantage of the technology.

Passkeys provide a more secure and phishing resistant alternative to passwords by requiring users to use an authenticator app to confirm their identity before being granted access to their account. This authentication is usually done using a biometric measure, such as a fingerprint or facial recognition, or by using a PIN tied to a device or security key.

“Today, we’re excited to share that more than 175 million customers have enabled passkeys on their Amazon accounts, allowing them to sign in six-times faster than they could otherwise. Adoption keeps growing every day, as more customers experience the convenience of passwordless sign-in,” Amazon said.

Global passkey adoption

Amazon’s passkey launch was initially met with some skepticism, as two-factor authentication (2FA) remained active for accounts using passkeys, effectively eliminating the increased login speed and convenience of passkeys. However it seems Amazon has successfully ironed out the kinks since then, and has even rolled out passkeys for AWS and Audible accounts.

Users looking to set up a passkey for themselves can do so in the Amazon account settings by navigating to Login & Security, and then clicking the ‘Set Up’ button next to Passkey.

Passkeys have been quickly adopted across a range of industries, with Microsoft recently offering passkey support for its Advanced Protection Program, and a string of password managers introducing the feature as standard on their platforms.

Moreover, the FIDO Alliance has released a draft set of specifications to make it possible for passkeys to be transferred between credential management providers, allowing for enhanced security and choice for users looking to migrate between solutions.