What you need to know
- Google is cutting out the clutter by merging the account selection and biometric verification into a single, seamless screen in Android 15.
- Android 15’s Gboard will integrate passkeys directly into the Credential Manager, making app logins smoother.
- This upgrade will also pop up in Wear OS 5, making it easier to access accounts from your wrist without fussing with other apps.
AI stole the spotlight at this year's Google I/O keynote, but there's more under the surface, including some handy passkey updates coming with Android 15 and Wear OS 5.
At its "Passkeys and identity best practices" dev session, Google revealed that Android 15 will introduce a single-tap sign-in process (via 9to5Google). The Mountain View-based tech giant is combining the account selection and biometric prompt into one streamlined screen.
Previously, you had to tap "continue" to confirm your account and then authenticate using your fingerprint, face, or PIN. The upcoming Android 15 update simplifies this by putting everything on a single screen, cutting it down from two taps to just one. For those with multiple accounts, there will be a "More options" button to easily switch between accounts.
Another key takeaway from the session is that Android 15's Gboard will feature passkey options right in the Credential Manager, streamlining logins to your favorite services and apps. This enhancement will also extend to Wear OS 5, arriving in a quarterly platform update, which simplifies logging into accounts directly from your wearable device, bypassing the hassle of external apps or services.
Google has also revealed that this feature will support external password managers, such as Dashlane.
Another handy update is the addition of a "Restore" passkey feature for phones and tablets, which streamlines the process of logging into your apps when you switch to a new device. Apps will be able to store a restore key in the Credential Manager. This key gets saved on your device and, if you've got cloud backups turned on, it automatically moves over to your new device, eliminating the need to log into each app.
That said, most users won't see these updates until later in the year when Android 15 and Wear OS 15 are scheduled to launch.
