Technologies

You’ll No Longer Need to Set a Password With New Microsoft Accounts

Microsoft is optimistic that our reliance on passwords is coming to a close.

Microsoft is once again moving closer to a passwordless future.

In a bold step toward embracing passkeys – which uses cryptography to better protect data from hackers and phishing scams – new Microsoft accounts will now be passwordless by default. Instead, the company will issue a prompt to set up passkeys as part of an effort to make the process more secure.

The company announced the news on World Password Day, which is observed on the first Thursday in May – a day that’s been used to encourage people to review their passwords and security settings since Intel created the event in 2013.

The need to get a better grasp on password protection comes at a time when many big tech companies are pushing to eliminate passwords altogether. Apple rolled out passkeys as part of iOS 16 in 2022, followed by Google, which allows people to sign in to Google and other popular accounts such as Amazon, WhatsApp and PayPal via fingerprint, face scan, PIN or pattern using a device’s lock screen.

«Although passwords have been around for centuries, we hope their reign over our online world is ending,» Microsoft said in a blog post.

Weak passwords don’t just make users vulnerable to hackers, they’re also often reused across multiple platforms, from banking apps to email to social media.

Now when a new Microsoft user attempts to enter a password and set up a «one time code» on their account, the company will prompt them to sign in with the code instead of the password and then encourage them to enroll a passkey. When they visit again, they’ll be prompted to sign in with the passkey – not a password. Meanwhile, existing users can visit their account settings to delete their password.

«This simplified experience gets you signed in faster and in our experiments has reduced password use by over 20%,» the company added. «As more people enroll passkeys, the number of password authentications will continue to decline until we can eventually remove password support altogether.»

Last year, the company introduced passkey support for Microsoft accounts for its consumer apps and services like Xbox and Copilot. It has since seen nearly a million passkeys registered every day.

Not a perfect solution

Lorrie Cranor, a security professor at Carnegie Mellon University, acknowledged that passkeys generally have security advantages over passwords, especially because many consumers still use the same password for many accounts, but said passkeys aren’t perfect either.

«From a security perspective, it is great to see them being pushed out to consumers, but I do have some concerns about their usability, especially in cases where consumers have multiple devices or lose or upgrade a device.» she said. «Shared accounts and devices may also be problematic.»

However, she said the companies pushing for passkeys should address the usability issues, implement secure and usable fallback authentication procedures over time.

«[They’ll need to] support users who run into problems,» Cranor said.

Technologies

Today’s Wordle Hints, Answer and Help for May 3, #1414

Here are hints and the answer for today’s Wordle No. 1,414 for May 3.

Looking for the most recent Wordle answer? Click here for today’s Wordle hints, as well as our daily answers and hints for The New York Times Mini Crossword, Connections, Connections: Sports Edition and Strands puzzles.

Today’s Wordle puzzle answer is a word that seems to have slipped out of favor. It’ll be interesting to see if it stumps a lot of players. It’s also a first name that isn’t very popular as that anymore, either. If you need a new starter word, check out our list of which letters show up the most in English words. If you need hints and the answer, read on.

Today’s Wordle hints

Before we show you today’s Wordle answer, we’ll give you some hints. If you don’t want a spoiler, look away now.

Wordle hint No. 1: Repeats

Today’s Wordle answer has no repeated letters.

Wordle hint No. 2: Vowels

There is one vowel in today’s Wordle answer, and one sometimes vowel.

Wordle hint No. 3: First letter

Today’s Wordle answer begins with the letter P.

Wordle hint No. 4: Name game

Today’s Wordle answer used to be a popular girl’s name, but it’s not used that much anymore.

Wordle hint No. 5: Meaning

Today’s Wordle answer can refer to someone who’s easily taken advantage of.

TODAY’S WORDLE ANSWER

Today’s Wordle answer is PATSY.

Yesterday’s Wordle answer

Yesterday’s Wordle answer, May 2, No. 1413 was WHOSE.

Recent Wordle answers

April 28, No. 1409: DUMMY

April 29, No. 1410: BLISS

April 30, No. 1411: IDLER

May 1, No. 1412: ADEPT

Technologies

How to Get a Free Fortnite Star Wars Skin and 4 Other Outfits Now

Fortnite has several promotions running simultaneously, letting you get your hands on multiple free skins right now.

Fortnite is once again brewing up crossovers with a galaxy from far, far away — and luckily for you, that means there are free skins up for grabs. The First Order Stormtrooper skin is available for free right now when you connect your Epic Games and MyDisney accounts.

If a stormtrooper skin from the Star Wars sequel trilogy era isn’t quite your style, there are other non-Star Wars skins that you can earn for free, whether you’re completing tasks in-game or redeeming promotional offers. Two more free skins are unlocked by linking your Epic Games and Lego accounts.

Other skins are available through quests — in-game tasks that unlock new items across the different Fortnite modes. The Trailblazer Tai skin is unlocked for free through Lego Fortnite quests, while the limited-time Vanguard Zadie skin is available through an account-level quest.

Here are all of the current free Fortnite skins and how to unlock them.

Free Fortnite skins in May 2025

These are the current free skins available through crossover promotions, account activations and in-game quests.

First Order Stormtrooper

Unlocking the First Order Stormtrooper skin requires you to have an eligible MyDisney account, used to log into Disney’s empire of streaming services like Disney Plus and Hulu, to which you’ll need to connect your Epic Games account in order to earn this skin. In order to do so, navigate to the Apps and Accounts page of your Epic Games account and click «connect» on the MyDisney option. This will take you to the MyDisney webpage to complete the process and bind the accounts. You will have the First Order Stormtrooper skin upon your next Fortnite login.

By watching the first two episodes of Star Wars: Tales of the Underworld on a special Fortnite island (the code is 2124-6713-8076) you can also earn a free Asajj Ventress loading screen.

Mr. Dappermint and Explorer Emilie

Unlocking the Mr. Dappermint and Explorer Emilie skins requires you to have an eligible Lego account, as you need to connect one to your Epic Games account in order to earn these skins. In order to do so, navigate to the Apps and Accounts page of your Epic Games account and click «connect» on the Lego option. This will take you to the Lego webpage to complete the process and bind the accounts. You will have the Mr. Dappermint and Explorer Emilie skins upon your next Fortnite login.

Trailblazer Tai

In order to start Trailblazer Tai’s quest, players must check the Lego Fortnite store. A free quest will be available at the bottom of the store — claiming this quest allows players to complete challenges to unlock the Trailblazer Tai skin. There is no time limit to complete Trailblazer Tai’s Lego Fortnite quest.

Vanguard Zadie

Available as part of a limited-time quest, players can earn the Vanguard Zadie skin by earning 50 Fortnite account levels by June 7. Account levels earned prior to the launch of this quest do not count toward unlocking the Vanguard Zadie skin. The Vanguard Zadie quest also rewards players with a new pickaxe and back bling.

Technologies

Apple Is Moving US iPhone Assembly to India Amid Tariff Turmoil

Apple CEO Tim Cook also said Vietnam will manufacture almost all iPad, Mac, Apple Watch and AirPods products sold in the US.

Apple will be sourcing almost its entire line of iPhones sold in the US — about 60 million phones a year — from assembly facilities in India, CEO Tim Cook said Thursday. The planned move comes against the backdrop of the Trump administration imposing tariffs against China of up to 145%.

The tech giant is predicting a $900 million impact to Apple’s costs this coming quarter if tariff policies, rates and applications stay as they are right now.

«For the June quarter, we do expect the majority of iPhones sold in the US will have India as their country of origin,» Cook said during Apple’s Q1 earnings call on May 1, «and Vietnam to be the country of origin for almost all iPad, Mac, Apple Watch and AirPods products sold in the US.»

It comes as some products such as mobile phones and computers have been exempted from those tariffs for the time being. Apple has long centered its iPhone production in China, making it vulnerable to any trade war between the two countries and spurring speculation that tariffs could mean price increases for the company’s biggest-selling product.

By moving third-party assembly of US iPhones to India, Apple could avoid the most significant cost pressure of a trade war, though India itself faces new tariffs as well.

The company had already begun shipping iPhones made in India, adding to its product reserves, before new tariffs became active.

A global perspective on iPhones and tariffs

While it’s unclear how long the trade war with China will continue, Apple’s shift is part of a larger strategy that may include more US component manufacturing, says Angelo Zino, a senior vice president at CFRA Research.

«Apple must think long term with manufacturing capacity,» Zino said. «We think Apple will look to double its India iPhone capacity in the next two to three years to help mitigate future China-US tensions.»

That said, Zino expects Apple to keep a large China presence, as 15% of its sales will be in that country and global capacity of iPhone manufacturing will still rely on Chinese manufacturing. Cook confirmed that China will «continue to be the country of origin for the vast majority of total product sales outside the US.»

While Apple wouldn’t shift iPhone production entirely to the US, which would be cost-prohibitive, Zino said, it could potentially ramp up modem and internally designed processors with Taiwan Semiconductor in the US.

«That is clearly where the value of Apple lies for the Trump administration, in our view, rather than assembling its devices,» Zino said.

Will Apple’s manufacturing shift to India last?

Muzammil Hassan, head of patent portfolio management and monetization in India for Quandary Peak Research, noted that Apple’s shift to more manufacturing in India was already happening before tariffs were enacted.

«I don’t think it’s a temporary move,» Hassan said. «Foxconn has been training thousands of employees in their factories in Tamil Nadu. In fact, there were reports that iPhone 17 might be developed and manufactured exclusively in India.»

While shifting all US iPhone production to India may be bold, Hassan said, Apple is not pioneering with its manufacturing strategy. «I’d say Apple is late to the party. Samsung, Oppo, Vivo and Motorola among others were already manufacturing their phones in India.»

In addition, Google may be migrating production of its Pixel phone to India from Vietnam, he said.