Microsoft enables passwordless login via Authenticator app

Microsoft has made it possible to sign in to a Microsoft account without having to remember the password. The method works through the Authenticator app on iOS or Android, which allows users to access their account.

If a user tries to log in to the account, he or she will receive a notification from the app to grant permission, Microsoft writes. Only the setup of Authenticator to grant permission requires entering the password, after that only pressing the ‘Approve’ option is necessary to access the account on, for example, a laptop or desktop.

Until now, the Authenticator has always been the second stage in two-step authentication, next to the password. Microsoft hopes that the method via the app is more secure than logging in with only a password, which can fall into the wrong hands via hacks or phishing.

Microsoft has only provided the apps for iOS and Android with support for the new feature. According to the software company, less than five percent of Authenticator users have Windows Phone or Windows 10 Mobile. If logging in without a password turns out to be a success, Microsoft will consider supporting its own mobile operating system in due course.