Google begins adding passkey support in Android and Chrome

Google has begun rolling out initial passkey support for Android and Chrome. In a blog post published Wednesday, the company said web admins can start integrating the technology into their websites through the WebAuthn API. Similarly, developers can download the latest Google Play Services beta to start testing the authentication standard within their apps.

Google expects to roll out stable support for passkeys later this year, with an API for native Android apps arriving in 2022 as well. The latter will allow you to choose between a passkey and a saved password when logging into a supported platform.

As more apps and websites add support for passkeys, Android and Chrome users will see their relationship with online credentials change. “Passkeys are a significantly safer replacement for passwords and other phishable authentication factors,” Google notes. “They cannot be reused, don’t leak in server breaches and protect users from phishing attacks.”

Creating a passkey on your Android phone will involve confirming you want to make one and then authenticating your identity with a fingerprint or face scan (you can also use a screen lock). Signing in is just as easy. You simply authenticate your identity and you’re good to go. You’ll manage your passkeys through Google Password Manager, where they’ll be automatically backed up to the cloud to prevent lockouts if you ever lose your device.

Since passkeys are part of an industry-wide initiative to do away with passwords, they work across different devices, platforms and browsers. For instance, as you can see in the screenshot above, you can use a passkey stored on an Android phone to log into a website you visit through Safari. With Apple and Microsoft making similar efforts, the web will hopefully become safer soon.

Apple TV and Music apps are coming to Windows next year

During its Surface event, Microsoft said Apple TV and Apple Music apps are coming to the operating system next year. You’ll be able to check out previews of them in the Microsoft Store before the year is out. As such, those who use Apple’s services soon won’t need to use a web app or creaky old iTunes to access Apple Music or Apple TV on a Windows system.

Xbox users, meanwhile, can download an Apple Music app starting today, a year after the service landed on PS5. Apple TV has been available on Xbox consoles since late 2020.

In addition, you’ll be able to access iCloud photo libraries in Windows without relying on a browser. These will be available to everyone through the Windows Photos app next month. Folks in the Windows Insider program can try the integration today by installing the latest version of the iCloud Windows app.

Apple’s standalone Windows media apps have been a long time coming. The company was recruiting engineers to build them as far back as 2019, the same year Apple announced separate Music, TV and Podcast apps for Mac.

Microsoft Surface Pro 9 hands-on: Can Intel and ARM models live in harmony?

On the one hand, the Surface Pro 9 is pretty much what we expected: a jump up to Intel’s 12th-gen CPUs. But Microsoft surprised us with a huge shakeup for its tablet PCs. There’s also a Surface Pro 9 running a custom SQ3 ARM chip, which also includes built-in 5G. Can an x86 Intel processor and a mobile ARM chip really sit side by side? We got a chance to compare the two new machines at Microsoft’s hands-on event, and to be honest, we just have more questions.

Both models look and feel the same, save for the more visible 5G antennas on the Arm model. Microsoft representatives say performance is also comparable between the SQ3 and Intel’s chips, something we’ll have to fully test to believe. (An early Geekbench 5 test on a demo unit hit 978/4,760, which is far slower than Intel 11th and 12th-gen systems we’ve reviewed. Those figures could improve with better software and firmware, though.) The same reps also noted that app compatibility with legacy x86 apps has gotten better for ARM devices, and there are an increasing number of native Windows apps which will run just fine across both platforms.

In either case, you’re getting tablet PCs that can easily transform into functional laptops with their keyboard cases. Unfortunately, those are still sold separately, as is the Slim Pen 2 Microsoft introduced last year. The Surface Pro 9 won’t change your mind about the viability of using a tablet as a PC, but on the Intel side it’s nice to see a major speed bump.

The SQ3 Arm model also has a few features the Intel version doesn’t, thanks to its neural processor. That includes some real-time enhancements to video chats, like blurring your background. (The video quality across both systems also look fantastic.) According to Microsoft, it’s possible to bring those features to Intel chips when they have their own neural chips, but unfortunately those aren’t available on Intel’s current lineup.

Surface Pro 9
Devindra Hardawar/Engadget

Microsoft representatives admitted there may be some confusion among some shoppers, since they can easily walk out of a store with two very different computers. But it sounds like the company is willing to deal with those usability bumps, rather than splitting the Surface Pro line once again. 

Follow along with the rest of our news from Microsoft’s 2022 Surface event.

Apple iCloud photo libraries will soon be viewable in Windows

It should soon be much easier to access your iPhone’s photo collection on a Windows-based PC. Microsoft is updating Windows 11 with the option to directly view iCloud photo libraries in the Photos app — you won’t need your browser, just an iCloud app from Microsoft’s store. So long as your iCloud account has enough space to hold all your images, you might never need to manually transfer photos to your Windows machines.

The functionality is available today for Windows Insider participants. It should be available to all Windows 11 users sometime in November.

The news comes just as the Apple Music app launches on Xbox consoles. It reflects Microsoft’s ambition to make Windows the “most open” desktop platform with support for rival services and apps. You can use Android apps and run Linux instances, for example. While this is partly a not-so-subtle dig at Apple’s more closed ecosystem, it’s good news for users who’d rather not switch hardware just to get seamless photo syncing.

Hyundai wants all of its vehicles to support over-the-air updates by 2025

Though already having some success with its Ioniq lineup, Hyundai has far bigger plans for its EV future — including taking a page from Tesla in terms of software updates. The automaker just unveiled a new roadmap, saying it’ll invest $12.6 billion to transform its lineup across brands into “Software Defined Vehicles” (SDVs). 

As part of that, it’s developing new platforms and a new Connected Car Operating System (CCOS). It wants all its vehicles (both ICE and EV) to be over-the-air (OTA) capable by 2025, at which point it expects to have 20 million connected vehicles on the road.

The first leg in Hyundai’s plans is two new EV platforms called eM and eS for Hyundai, Kia and Genesis vehicles based on its Integrated Modular Architecture (IMA) announced earlier this year. The eM platform will be used for consumer EVs in all segments, offering 50 percent more range on a charge than current models, according to Hyundai. It’ll also support Level 3 and higher self-driving levels. Meanwhile, the eS platform is designed for logistics, deliveries and other business segments. 

The idea is to have more more modularity and standardization for components like batteries and motors, helping streamline production and cut costs. Critically, it’ll also let Hyundai use the same vehicle controller across brands and segments, making OTA software and “Feature on Demand” (FoD) upgrades possible.

Hyundai Motor Group 'Unlock the Software Age'
Hyundai Motor Group

Another key part of the roadmap is the software platform. The group will use something Hyundai calls the Connected Car Operating System (ccOS), applied to all controllers and using “extremely high computing power.” To achieve that, it’s working with NVIDIA on loading an optimized version of ccOS onto NVIDIA DRIVE, its next-gen chipset for autonomous driving and other vehicle functions. 

Speaking of that, it also plans to advance its autonomous driving tech. The ccOS operating system is a key part of that, processing all the data collected by cameras, radars and LiDARs mounted in vehicles. Hyundai hopes to use ccOS to commercialize Level 3 vehicles soon, and go to Level 4 and 5 “in due course.” 

“This year, the Group will apply an advanced Highway Driving Pilot (HDP) on the Genesis G90, which is a Level 3 technology for autonomous driving based on the second-generation integrated controller,” said Hyundai’s autonomous driving head Woongjun Jang. “The Group is also developing its Remote Parking Pilot (RPP) for Level 3 autonomous driving.”

To accomplish all that, Hyundai Group plans to invest 18 trillion won ($12.6 billion) by 2030, which will go toward building a Global Software Center and be ploughed into research. “This will pace the Group at the forefront of providing entirely new mobility solutions as society changes, transportation means evolve, and software defined vehicles become commonplace,” according to the press release.