Microsoft dumps the traditional password system

Microsoft recently revealed new alternative method for accessing accounts. Now, users, instead of entering passwords, can take the easy two-step verification using Microsoft’s Authenticator account app, in order to access their accounts. According to the company, the new system is more secure than typing in a code. The two-step authentication involves users entering their username for a Microsoft account and thereafter, receiving a sign-in alert on their devices that they can either approve or deny.

“With phone sign-in, we’re shifting the security burden from your memory to your device,” Microsoft director Alex Simons wrote in a blog post. “Just add your account to the Android or iOS Microsoft Authenticator app, then enter your username as usual when signing in somewhere new. Instead of entering your password, you’ll get a notification on your phone,” he added.

Simons went on to explain how the new process introduced by Microsoft is easier than the standard two-step verification. “Using your phone to sign in with PIN or fingerprint is a seamless way to incorporate two account ‘proofs’ in a way that feels natural and familiar,” he said.

Interested users can download and install Microsoft Authenticator app from the App Store or Google Play and then add their Microsoft account to the app. Post which, users will be asked about their Microsoft Account information every time they log into a website.

The new method currently only works for websites that need your Microsoft Account information such as Skype, Outlook and OneDrive.