Automatic account linking
Identity Cloud supports the automatic linking of social accounts from various social identity providers. This allows users to log in with any of their social accounts and be associated with the same Identity Cloud user account. The linking is based on the user's email address.
Upon the first login with a social identity provider, the user's email of the social account is verified. Email verification is required to prevent security attacks such as account takeovers.
After successful email verification, we create a user in Identity Cloud, if one does not exist yet. The user is created with the same email address as used in the social login account. Upon user creation, we also set the first and last name of the user if provided by the identity provider.
Finally, the social account is linked to the Identity Cloud user. The linking is visible as social login authentication method in the user details. If you delete a social login authentication method, the user has to verify their email during the next login to link the social account again. For more information, see View authentication methods.
- User information modifications in the social accounts are not automatically synchronized to the user account in Identity Cloud. The user data is only set upon first user creation in Identity Cloud.
- Users can use Password and any Social login as authentication methods interchangeably, independent of the initially used method during signup.
- Users who initially signed up using Social login and want to use the Password authentication method can register a Password by using the Password reset flow.