UK technology firm Intelligent Environments has launched a new passcode system that uses emojis instead of the traditional PINs or passwords for online banking.
The company’s Emoji Passcode allows consumers to log into their banks using four emoji characters.
The new system is claimed to be mathematically more secure than traditional four digit passcodes, because there are 480 times more permutations.
Hackers will not be allowed to find common and easily obtainable numerical passcodes such as a date of birth.
The emoji passcode system was launched following research, which showed that most of the people in the UK find it hard to remember numerical passcodes.
A survey of more than 1,300 people revealed that nearly a third have forgotten their PINs before with one in four saying they use the same PIN for all their cards.
Intelligent Environments manager director David Webber said: "We’ve had input from lots of millennials when we developed the technology. What’s clear is that the younger generation is communicating in new ways.
"Our research shows 64% of millennials regularly communicate only using emojis. So we decided to reinvent the passcode for a new generation by developing the world’s first emoji security technology."
The company said the new passcode system has been integrated into its Android digital banking app.
