iOS 16: How to Use PassKeys

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The company’s implementation of the industry standard known as Passkey was created to get rid of passwords used for internet authentication. The FIDO Alliance and the World Wide Web Consortium joined up with Apple, Google, and Microsoft earlier this year to work on removing passwords for user authentication across the platforms. At its Worldwide Developer Conference (WWDC) in June, Apple unveiled Passkey as its own implementation of this standard.

Passkeys will be supported by iOS 16, macOS Ventura, and iPadOS 16, according to Apple. Passkeys eliminate passwords from the authentication flow, which reduces the chance of account breach because passwords can be stolen, leaked, or revealed. Additionally, unlike passwords, passkeys are not reused across websites, thus there is less possibility that compromised credentials would harm other accounts. We mentioned below are the steps to Use PassKeys on iOS 16.

Steps to Use PassKeys on iOS 16

Log in with existing username and password.

The site may ask you for additional authentication. This may be a link sent via email, a text message code or a request for 2FA confirmation with a code or through an app you already have installed on your iPhone 14 or iPad.

In the security section of the site, you can choose a passkey or one of the alternative names above.

Then, Web server sends a request to your browser to provide encryption information.

You will be asked to approve this request using Touch ID, Face ID or your device’s password, depending on what is available and enabled.

If you successfully validate your identity, your device generates the public/private key pair. The private key is stored on your device and never sent to the remote site.

After that, browser sends the public key along with a cryptographically signed message that the server can validate using the provided public key: only someone whose device possesses the private key can produce a verifiable message.

Then, Web server stores your public key for future logins.

Final Words

That’s it with our article on iOS 16: How to Use PassKeys. Passkeys are one-of-a-kind digital keys that you store on your device to take the place of passwords. They utilize Apple’s iCloud Keychain technology to sync across all of your Apple devices, are end-to-end encrypted, and are compatible with Touch ID or Face ID. Passkeys can’t be used to sign into a false app or website because they are also associated with the iPhone app or website they were designed for, making phishing assaults impossible.