Forgot your password again? Sign in with your face or fingerprint instead
Locked out of the business app in a customer's driveway, or reusing one password everywhere because it is the only one you remember? Here is how passkeys fix that, what to do whatever software you use, and how to sign in to TradeYoke with a fingerprint.
It is 7.45 on a Tuesday. You are parked outside the first job, the phone is in your hand and the business app wants a password you last typed three weeks ago. You try the usual one, then the usual one with a number on the end. Now it wants an emailed link, and the signal in this road is one bar. Passwords are the weakest, most annoying part of running a business from your phone. This guide covers why, what to do about it whatever software you use, and how to sign in to TradeYoke with a fingerprint instead.
Key takeaways
- A passkey replaces the passwordYou sign in with the face, fingerprint or PIN you already use to unlock your phone or computer. Nothing to remember or type.
- It only works on the real siteA passkey is tied to the site it was made for, so a look-alike site that asks for your details cannot use it.
- Set it up onceIn TradeYoke, sign in once, then add a passkey on the Passkey card under My account.
- You are told what happensTradeYoke emails you when a passkey is added or removed.
- Web browser todayThe Android, iPhone and Windows apps are coming shortly. Until then, sign in the way you always have on those.
Quick answer
Quick answer: a passkey lets you sign in to TradeYoke with your face, fingerprint or device PIN instead of a password. Sign in once with Google, Apple or Microsoft, open My account, find the Passkey card, and choose Add a passkey. Next time, choose Use a passkey on the sign-in page and confirm on your device. There is no password to type and no email link to wait for, and TradeYoke has no passwords at all, so a passkey is simply the quickest of its ways in.
Why passwords hurt a trade business
A one-person business has no IT department and no time for one. So the password for the business app is often the one you use for everything else, because it is the one you can remember. When the team grows it gets shared, so the new lad can get on. None of it feels risky until a password leaked from some unrelated website is tried on your accounts, or a convincing fake page asks you to type it in.
The other cost is time. Resetting a password from a van, on a phone, with one bar of signal, is five minutes you did not have. Multiply that by every forgotten login in a year.
What helps, whatever software you use
Habits that cut the risk
- Use a passkey wherever a service offers oneThe UK's National Cyber Security Centre now recommends passkeys wherever a service supports them, with two-step verification where it does not.
- Never reuse a passwordIf one site leaks it, every account that shares it is at risk. A password manager or your phone's built-in one does the remembering.
- One login per personGive each member of the team their own sign-in so you can see who did what and switch one off when someone leaves.
- Lock the phone itselfA passkey is only as safe as the screen lock on the device that holds it. Use a PIN, fingerprint or face unlock, not a swipe.
- Switch on a notice when something changesIf a new way of signing in is added to your account, you want an email straight away, not at the end of the month.
How does signing in with a passkey work in TradeYoke?
Quick answer: you create a passkey once, on the device you use, and TradeYoke recognises it from then on. When you sign in, your device asks you to confirm with your face, fingerprint or PIN, and you are in. A passkey only works on the TradeYoke site it was made for, so a look-alike site can never use it.
- Sign in first. Use Google, Apple or Microsoft sign-in on the device you want to use. (A passkey cannot be added from a session that began with an emailed code or link, so use one of the others first.)
- Add a passkey. Open My account, find the Passkey card, and choose Add a passkey. Give it a name such as "Work phone", then confirm with your face, fingerprint or PIN.
- Sign in with it. On the sign-in page choose Use a passkey and confirm on your device. You land in your workspace.
Add a passkey on each device you use every day, for example your phone and your office computer, so a glance or a touch is always enough.
What if I lose the phone, or someone else adds a passkey?
Quick answer: sign in another way, remove the lost device's passkey, and you are safe again. You will also have been told: TradeYoke emails you whenever a passkey is added or removed.
- Lost or broken phone. Sign in with Google, Apple or Microsoft (or a synced passkey on another device), then open My account and choose Remove next to that device's passkey.
- An email you did not expect. If it says a passkey was added and it was not you, remove it from My account and choose Sign out everywhere.
- Removing is always allowed. Taking away your last passkey never locks you out: your other ways to sign in stay exactly as they were.
Does it work with two-step sign-in?
Quick answer: yes. If you use two-step sign-in, signing in with a passkey counts as the second step, so you are not asked for a code as well. You confirm once, on a device you already hold, and that is both checks done.
That makes it quicker as well as safer than a password plus a code. It is one of the few security changes that saves you time. For the wider picture, our guide to protecting a trade business from invoice fraud and account takeover covers the other habits worth having.
Where does it work today?
Passkeys work today in the web browser. The Android, iPhone and Windows apps are coming shortly, so in the apps, keep signing in the way you do now. Passkeys are about how you sign in, not about what you can do once you are in: the schedule, jobs, customers and invoices behind the login are exactly the same. See security, roles and permissions for the rest of how TradeYoke protects a workspace.
Questions people ask
What is a passkey?
A passkey is a way of signing in with your face, fingerprint or device PIN instead of a password. It is kept on your phone or computer and only works on the site it was made for.
Can I sign in to TradeYoke without a password?
Yes, and TradeYoke has no passwords at all. Add a passkey under My account, then choose Use a passkey on the sign-in page. There is no password to type and no email link to wait for.
Does a passkey replace two-step sign-in?
If you use two-step sign-in, a passkey counts as the second step, so you are not asked for a code as well.
Will I know if a passkey is added to my account?
Yes. TradeYoke emails you whenever a passkey is added or removed.
Do passkeys work on my phone?
They work in the web browser today. The Android, iPhone and Windows apps are coming shortly; until then, sign in to the apps the way you do now.
Can I still sign in with Google or Microsoft?
Yes. Removing a passkey never locks you out: Google, Apple, Microsoft and the emailed code or link stay as they were.
What does it cost to try?
Thirty days of Essentials free, no card. See the pricing page for the plans after that.
Sign in with a glance, not a password
30 days of Essentials free, no card. Add a passkey and leave the forgotten passwords behind.
