Among its many announcements at F8 on Tuesday was Facebook’s Account Kit, which it says will help developers grow their apps and websites by giving people new ways to log in. It gives people a choice to sign in with their phone number or email address without the need for a password.
The company calls it a complementary solution to Facebook Login, which doesn’t require people to actually have a Facebook account.
“Most people find remembering passwords difficult, so Account Kit gives people the option to log into new apps with just a few taps using only their phone number or email address,” says Facebook’s Olga Kuznetsova. “There’s no need for a username and password. People can use Account Kit without sharing any information from their Facebook profile—they don’t even need a Facebook account to use it. By removing these major barriers to entry, Account Kit helps you increase your sign-ups and expand your audience.”
“Account Kit is simple and quick to implement for both new and established apps, so you can focus on building your core product instead of creating a login system and handling password storage,” she says. “Account Kit is built on Facebook’s infrastructure—as technology, systems and devices change, we’ll update Account Kit to help keep your app’s on-boarding flow current. We support SMS login for over 230 countries and regions, in more than 40 languages. Your app can use Account Kit to send up to 100K confirmation SMS per month at no charge to you.”
Account Kit has a customizable user interface, rich analytics, and a Facebook notification backup option.
You can see an example of Account Kit in action here. You can download the SDK for iOS, Android, or JavaScript (web).