Passkeys: all the news and updates around passwordless sign-ins – The Verge

WhatsApp can now use passkeys to secure your backups

2025-10-30T07:18:14-04:00

Say hello to passkey backup encryption.

WhatsApp is introducing a passwordless way to instantly secure your chat backups. The messaging platform is launching passkey-encrypted backups for iOS and Android, allowing users to quickly encrypt their stored message history using their face, fingerprint, or device screen lock code.

The update is rolling out "gradually over the coming weeks and months," according to WhatsApp, and will make it easier to apply the same security measures that protect personal chats and calls to backups. End-to-end encryption for backups was already introduced in 2021, but required WhatsApp users to save a 64-digit encryption key or create a password tied to …

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Facebook rolls out passkey support to fight phishing attacks

2025-06-18T17:17:05-04:00

Facebook is adding support for passkeys on its mobile app. That means you'll be able to log into the platform using your device's authentication method, like your fingerprint, face scan, or PIN, making it more difficult for bad actors to take control of your account.

Passkeys offer a more secure alternative to typical passwords because they can't be stolen, guessed, or leaked. They also provide protection against phishing scams, which occur when a bad actor attempts to trick victims into exposing personal information, often by linking to fake login pages. Since your browser automatically links your passkey with a specific domain, it won't t …

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Microsoft goes passwordless by default on new accounts

2025-05-02T14:09:48-04:00

After supporting passwordless Windows logins for years and even allowing users to delete passwords from their accounts, Microsoft is making its biggest move yet toward a future with no passwords. Now it will ask people signing up for new accounts to only use more secure methods like passkeys, push notifications, and security keys instead, by default.

The new no-password initiative by Microsoft is accompanied by its recently launched, optimized sign-in window design with reordered steps that flow better for a passwordless and passkey-first experience.

Although current accounts won't have to shed their passwords, new ones will try and leave …

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Password manager makers want to let you securely transfer passkeys

2024-10-15T14:13:22-04:00

The FIDO Alliance, the organization that's helping shepherd passkey adoption, announced a draft of new specifications that would let users securely move their passkeys across different password managers.

Passkeys are great - it's nice to be able to log in to apps and websites without entering a password. But there hasn't been a standard protocol for transferring your passkeys across password managers. The new specifications, the Credential Exchange Protocol (CXP) and Credential Exchange Format (CXF), are designed to fill that gap.

The FIDO Alliance's "Credential Provider Special Interest Group," which includes representatives from 1Passwor …

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Google’s passkey syncing makes it easier to move on from passwords

2024-09-19T12:00:00-04:00

Chrome users will need to either unlock their Android screen or use the Password Manager PIN feature to use passkeys on new devices. | Illustration: The Verge

Google is improving passkey support in Chrome by making it easier to use the passwordless sign-in credentials across different devices. The search giant is introducing a Google Password Manager PIN that allows users to securely save and synchronize passkeys for use across Windows, macOS, Linux, and Android devices. These updates are available in beta on ChromeOS as well, with iOS support "coming soon."

Passkeys needed to be saved to Google Password Manager on Android prior to this update and required users to scan a QR code on their Android device to access them on other platforms. The new PIN replaces the need to scan the QR code while en …

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This Iodyne is the most gadgety portable SSD ever devised

2024-09-10T13:00:00-04:00

The Iodyne Pro Mini. | Photo: Iodyne

Do you know what's on your portable drives? Or where you saw them last? Are they ready to store and share massive gobs of video? Are they blazing fast?

The Iodyne Pro Mini is designed to be the (pricey) answer to all of that.

It's the first external SSD with a pair of Frore AirJet Mini Slim inside, a solid-state cooling chip that, the company says, helps it transfer data at a sustained three gigabytes per second with a drive no bigger than an iPhone.

It's the first I've seen with a built-in e-paper display that can automatically keep track of remaining storage and the last time it was used - plus your project name, lost-and-found phone nu …

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Dashlane says passkey adoption has increased by 400 percent in 2024

2024-07-30T09:00:00-04:00

Password manager Dashlane has released a new passkey report that gives us some idea of how many people are adopting the cryptographic passwordless logins. According to the report, Dashlane has seen a 400 percent increase in passkey authentications since the beginning of the year, with 1 in 5 active Dashlane users now having at least one passkey in their Dashlane vault.

Over 100 sites now offer passkey support, though Dashlane says the top 20 most popular apps account for 52 percent of passkey authentications. When split into industry sectors, e-commerce (which includes eBay, Amazon, and Target) made up the largest share of passkey authenti …

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Single-tap passkeys are coming to Android 15

2024-05-17T11:22:25-04:00

Signing in is about to get more convenient in Android 15 and Wear OS 5. | Screenshot: Google

AI was the main focus of the Google I/O keynote this year, but there are still a bunch of new feature updates hidden in the various developer sessions. Case in point, 9to5Google spotted that Android 15 and Wear OS 5 are going to get some convenient passkey updates.

In its "Passkeys and identity best practices" dev session, Google announced that Android 15 is going to get a single-tap sign-in process. Instead of having two separate screens - one to select an account and another for a biometric prompt - Google will merge them into a single screen.

The end result is you'll be able to just use your face, finger, or any other screen unlocking m …

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Google is changing how you set up 2FA

2024-05-06T14:30:56-04:00

Google is streamlining the process of setting up two-factor authentication (2FA). Instead of entering your phone number first to enable 2FA, you can now add a "second step method" to your account such as an authenticator app or a hardware security key to get things set up.

This should make it safer to turn on 2FA, as it lets you avoid using less secure SMS verification. You can choose to enter a time-based one-time passcode through apps like Google Authenticator, or you can follow the steps to link a hardware security key.

Google offers two options to link a security key, including by registering a FIDO1 credential on the hardware key or b …

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Microsoft launches passkey support for all consumer accounts

2024-05-02T09:59:43-04:00

Microsoft is fully rolling out passkey support for all consumer accounts today. After enabling them in Windows 11 last year, Microsoft account owners can also now generate passkeys across Windows, Android, and iOS. This makes it effortless to sign in to a Microsoft account without having to type a password in every time.

You can create passkeys for your Microsoft account by following this link, and you can choose your face, fingerprint, PIN, or a security key to use a device to sign in with a passkey.

How passkeys work when you sign in to a Microsoft account. | Image: Microsoft" data-portal-copyright="Image: Microsoft">

What are passkeys?

Passkeys can replace traditional passwords with your device's own authentication methods. That way, you can sign in to G …

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