Google has been trialling a new secure login that uses a QR code to verify the user's identity.
The authentification tool was an experiment to find a new way of securely logging into Gmail on a public computer.
Some users that tried to login on a public computer were asked to scan the QR code using their smartphone, which then directed them to another login page.
After signing in on their phone users were then routed to their Gmail account on the desktop computer.
Google software engineer Dirk Balfanz confirmed the experiment, which has now finished, on Google+ and said a different authentification process was also in the works.
Google only recently launched its 2-step verification process; an optional service that sends the user an additional code to their mobile after they have entered their Gmail username and password.
The QR code verification process works in a similar way as it requires the user to have their mobile phone to be able to login, but it is slightly more advanced since the user must have a smartphone rather than a normal mobile.
Mobile web consultant Terence Eden said the QR experiment is another example of mobile becoming the 'key' that unlocks our online world.
Having a separate communications channel also helps prevent man-in-the-middle attacks - your laptop may be on insecure wifi but your phone will be on a secure 3G signal."
However he said although this trial is being run by Google, it is unlikely to be the catalyst for a wider take-up of QR codes.
I think we will need better education for users before this can take off. It's not very common to use two factor authentication for most people - that's the biggest challenge rather than the specific implementation."
There have been several high profile uses of QR codes recently – not all of them well planned – but data on the number of scans is rarely published.
A TfL poster campaign achieved 4,500 clicks, roughly 70 per day, since going live in November, but as there are few similar data sets available it is difficult to benchmark against other campaigns.
David Moth is a Reporter at Econsultancy. You can follow him on Twitter.
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