Dear edu-ID friends
We are pleased to share some interesting news about Switch edu-ID.
Usernameless login:
Passkeys are an excellent way to log in to edu-ID without a password. This is passwordless authentication. But passkeys can actually do more, so that users no longer even need to enter an email address as username. This usernameless authentication has been available for edu-ID login since 27 June. Anyone who has set up a passkey as their authentication method will automatically benefit from this. With most browsers and passkey authenticators, you can directly see a pop up to use a passkey. With just one click you can achieve secure authentication equivalent to email, password, plus second factor.
WAYF/Discovery Service Upgrade:
On Monday, 14 July at 9.00 the WAYF service gets the same look as the rest of the edu-ID services and a few new features. No down-time is expected. Most changes will be only visible when users are sent to the central WAYF on wayf.switch.ch. The Embedded WAYF remains largely unchanged. Find more details and instructions on how to test drive the new version on:
https://identityblog.switch.ch/2025/07/02/new-discovery-service-wayf/
MFA with SMS gets a price tag:
The Switch Foundation Council has decided to charge universities for the costs incurred by sending SMS messages for MFA. From 2026, universities that allow SMS for MFA will be charged for the costs incurred in accordance with the tariff list. Universities that wish to prevent SMS usage for MFA in order not to be charged for it can do so by implementing a corresponding organisational policy. More information can be found here
https://help.switch.ch/eduid/docs/services/login/auth/orgpolicy/
IdP v5 upgrade:
On 9 July, the edu-ID IdP will be updated to the latest Shibboleth version v5. The upgrade will take place without any service interruption and will not affect home organisations or service providers in any other way. Only a minor fraction of users will have to reconfirm their attribute release consent the first time after login.
We hope you like this news. In any case, we wish you a wonderful summer.
Your edu-ID team
(this message was originally posted on the announcement and operators mailing list)
The usernameless login sounds convenient, and I’m excited about the WAYF upgrade too. It’s great to see improvements that make things easier for everyone.
Thanks for the kind words. Usernameless login is indeed quite convenient. Unfortunately there are combinations of browser/password managers where it does not work yet. But this should improve as well over time.