Apple will be happy to assist you if you are ready to give up the password.

All Apple users will soon be able to login seamlessly with . Apple has built-in support of passkeys starting with iOS 16 or macOS Ventura. These new cryptographically-generated keys can be added directly to your iCloud keychain, and will sync across your devices with end-to-end encrypted encryption.
You can generate passkeys for any service, app or website that supports them. This will allow you to log in without a password or using SMS 2FA or an authenticator application. How to configure a passkey to work across all your devices with your iCloud Keychain.

Apple’s passkey system: How it works

The industry has come together to create Passkeys, which are a much stronger alternative to passwords. In our article, we’ve explained how the FIDO Alliance , which includes Apple, Google and Microsoft, is moving toward passkeys. It’s worth a refresher: Passkeys, or cryptographically-generated keys, are unique to each device on which they are generated. The keys are stored in pairs. One is on the device and the other with the service that holds your account. The passkey is only compatible with one account and one device. This eliminates the risk of scams such as phishing.

The passkey you create on an Apple device is directly stored in your iCloud Keychain. The same passkey can be used on all Apple devices that are signed into iCloud. You don’t need to generate passkeys on each device like you do for Android or Windows. This won’t work with third-party web browsers like Chrome or Edge. You will either need to create a new passkey or use your iPhone’s QR code scanner to authenticate.

Let’s set up a Passkey now that you understand how it all works. You’ll need to follow different steps depending on which website or app you use. Passkeys are supported by many companies, including PayPal, Best Buy and others. More are being added every day. Some companies, like Google , allow users to use their existing passwords as backup.

How to create a Passkey on iPhone or Mac

Make sure that your iPhone runs iOS 16 and macOS Ventura. You’ll then need to enable iCloud Keychain as well as the Autofill Passwords option from Settings > Passwords.

You don’t need to create a password if you are signing up for a service. iCloud Keychain can handle the entire process for you. If you already have an existing account, go to the account settings on the app or site to add passkeys.

As an example we’ll use Google, as they’ve done the best so far in embracing passkeys. They’ve even integrated iCloud Keychain sync. You can either create a passkey at the time of signing up for a Google account or add one by going to Google Account, Security and Passkeys. Here’s the link for the page. Click Create Passkey. Then, from the popup window, click Proceed.

The iCloud Keychain popup will appear. Click on it to create a passkey. Click the Continue and scan with Face ID or Touch ID if you are using an iPhone. You can also use the device’s password as a backup. Click the Done Button. The iCloud Keychain Passkey will be synced across all of your devices once it has been created. The Passkeys page is available in all accounts. You can delete, redo or add a passkey by going to that same Passkeys Page.

Once you have created the passkey, it’s easy to use. Log in using your email. Google will be able to tell that you have a passkey for your account. Click on the Continue and authenticate with Face ID or Touch ID.

You will be logged in once the authentication process is complete. It won’t even take a minute or two. You can use the Google-supported cross-device feature of passkey to log in temporarily to another computer or to another browser.

When asked for your passkey, select Try Another Way after entering your email. Choose the Enter your passkey to display a QR code.

Scan the QR code with your iPhone’s camera. It will only work with Bluetooth enabled as Bluetooth proximity is used as a security measure. After scanning the QR code, click the Sign In with a Passkey in the Camera App. The iCloud Keychain appears right here. You’ll be logged in after you tap Continue and authenticate with Face ID. Your passkey will not be added to the device you are logging into. Once you log out, your iPhone must authenticate again.