

So what if you’re trying to log in from a device that doesn’t have your passkey stored, like a communal or family computer, a device at work, or one you have access to while traveling? Or you need to use a Windows system or Android phone to access a site due to features specific to those platforms? Apple demonstrated a clever approach in its introduction to passkeys at the 2022 Worldwide Developer Conference that requires a QR code and Bluetooth. Some sites will let you specify a passkey login as your sole method to gain access. This will share both the public and private key and give people the same degree of account access as if you had given them the username, password, and two-factor token for your account. In iOS 16, iPadOS 15, and Ventura, with iCloud Keychain enabled, passkeys will sync and be listed in Settings > Passwords in iOS/iPadOS and System Settings > Passwords in Ventura.Īpple will let you share passkeys with other Apple users by securely sending them over AirDrop. Subsequent logins worked in Safari for macOS but not in Safari for iOS, probably because of a lack of iCloud Keychain sync support prior to the release of the new operating systems. (While logged into Dropbox via Safari, click your avatar in the upper-right corner, click the Security link, and click Add next to “Security keys.” When it asks if you’ve inserted the key, confirm you have.) I was able to enroll with a passkey at Dropbox by choosing the Security Key option and following the prompts within Safari for macOS. The web server stores your public key for your future logins.Your 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 holds the private key can produce a verifiable message.The private key is stored on your device and never sent to the remote site. If you successfully validate your identity, your device generates the public/private key pair.You’re prompted to approve this request with Touch ID, Face ID, or your device password, depending on what’s available and enabled.The web server pushes a request to your browser to provide encryption information.

The site’s security section lets you choose to use a passkey or one of the alternate names above.This might be a link sent via email, a texted code, or a prompt for a 2FA acknowledgment with a code or via an app you already have installed on your iPhone or iPad.


A passkey comprises a paired set of encryption keys, known generally as public-key cryptography.
