Passkeys - A Password Replacement?

Passkeys are the passwords of the future. Instead of typing in a user name and a password, passkeys uses your device's biometrics such as a Mac Touch ID or an Apple mobile device's Face ID to verify your identity. It's easy to use as there are no passwords to remember, and it's much more secure too. Here's how it works.

Having to log into websites and apps can be annoying, but with Passkeys, the procedure is greatly simplified. A feature arriving with macOS 13: Ventura, iOS 16 and iPadOS 16, Passkeys is a new authentication method that uses Touch ID or Face ID to sign in. Passkeys are synced through iCloud, and you can even use them on non-Apple devices using a QR code.

Passkeys can only be used on websites that have made them available. On Passkeys-compatible websites, you can log on using your Face ID, Touch ID or mobile device’s passcode, without having to enter your username and password. This has a number of advantages. As your Passkey never leaves your device, phishing attacks – whereby a user is conned into giving away his or her login details – are almost impossible. And because the Passkey information is never kept on an external server, it can’t be leaked after a hacking attack on the website either. All in all, it’s more secure than using a username and a password to log in.

A Passkey digital key is unique to the site for which it was created. You have to create Passkeys on a per-site basis, but this isn’t any great problem. Once it’s been made, it can be used on that site as often as you like. Passkeys are designed to work in apps as well as on the web, but again, the developer has to make them available. Because they’re cross-platform, you can use your Passkeys on a Mac, iPad and Apple TV as well as on your iPhone, though these devices must be running macOS Ventura/iPadOS 16/iOS 16 too.