Apple Aiming to Eliminate Passwords With Face ID/Touch ID Passkeys

Apple is developing a new passkey feature that will allow customers to use Face ID and Touch ID-based account authentication in lieu of a password, Apple engineer Garrett Davidson explained today in a WWDC developer session (via CNET).

apple passkey
"Passkeys in iCloud Keychain," a feature in iOS 15 and macOS Monterey, stores a new WebAuthn credential called a passkey in ‌iCloud‌ keychain. It's used instead of a password for account creation and login, with one-tap login.

When you create an account using a passkey, there is no password to deal with. You can access that account with just a login and authentication through Touch ID or ‌Face ID‌.

No password is required because your Apple device handles the generation and storage of the unique passkey used for the site, so login is just a matter of entering a username and authenticating. Passkeys are end-to-end encrypted and synced across all of your Apple devices thanks to ‌iCloud‌ Keychain. Since everything is stored in ‌iCloud‌ Keychain, credentials are preserved even if Apple devices are lost or stolen.

Passkeys are more secure than most password plus two-factor authentication solutions, and developers can easily implement support for logins via passkeys.

At the current time, passkeys only work with Apple devices, so Apple is talking to partners at FIDO and the World Wide Web Consortium about a wider solution that would allow users to eliminate passwords across non-Apple devices as well.

Passkeys in iOS 15 and macOS Monterey are designed for testing and are not for production accounts as Apple tests the feature. Apple is allowing developers to test passkeys as part of a multiyear effort to replace passwords.

The emphasis of this preview is the authentication technology, an iCloud Keychain-backed WebAuthn implementation. An industry-wide transition away from passwords will need thoughtful and consistently applied design patterns, which are not part of this preview.

Passkeys can be seen in greater detail in Apple's full WWDC session "Move beyond passwords."

Popular Stories

apple tv 4k new orange

New Apple TV Expected Later This Year With These New Features

Saturday July 12, 2025 3:09 pm PDT by
A new Apple TV is expected to be released later this year, and a handful of new features and changes have been rumored for the device. Below, we recap what to expect from the next Apple TV, according to rumors. Rumors Faster Wi-Fi Support The next Apple TV will be equipped with Apple's own combined Wi-Fi and Bluetooth chip, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. He said the chip supports ...
iphone 16 pro ghost hand

5 Reasons to Skip This Year's iPhone 17 Pro

Thursday July 10, 2025 4:54 am PDT by
Apple will launch its new iPhone 17 series in two months, and the iPhone 17 Pro models are expected to get a new design for the rear casing and the camera area. But more significant changes to the lineup are not expected until next year, when the iPhone 18 models arrive. If you're thinking of trading in your iPhone for this year's latest, consider the following features rumored to be coming...
iPhone 17 Pro in Hand Feature Lowgo

iPhone 17 Pro Coming Soon With These 16 New Features

Friday July 11, 2025 12:40 pm PDT by
Apple's next-generation iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max are only two months away, and there are plenty of rumors about the devices. Below, we recap key changes rumored for the iPhone 17 Pro models. Latest Rumors These rumors surfaced in June and July:A redesigned Dynamic Island: It has been rumored that all iPhone 17 models will have a redesigned Dynamic Island interface — it might ...
Apple Watch Ultra 2 Complications

Apple Watch Ultra 3: What to Expect

Sunday July 13, 2025 10:30 am PDT by
The long wait for an Apple Watch Ultra 3 is nearly over, and a handful of new features and changes have been rumored for the device. Below, we recap what to expect from the Apple Watch Ultra 3:Satellite connectivity for sending and receiving text messages when Wi-Fi and cellular coverage is unavailable 5G support, up from LTE on the Apple Watch Ultra 2 Likely a wide-angle OLED display that ...
iphone 16 pro pro max

iPhone 17 Pro Models With BOE Displays Will Be Sold in China Only

Thursday July 10, 2025 11:59 pm PDT by
iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max models with displays made by BOE will be sold exclusively in China, according to a new report. Last week, it emerged that Chinese display manufacturer BOE was aggressively ramping up its OLED production capacity for future iPhone models as part of a plan to recapture a major role in Apple's supply chain. Now, tech news aggregator Jukan Choi reports...
top stories 2025 07 12

Top Stories: iPhone 17 Pro Rumors, iOS 26 Beta 3, and More

Saturday July 12, 2025 6:00 am PDT by
The iOS 26 public beta release is quickly approaching, while developers have recently gotten their hands on a third round of betas that has seen Apple continue to tweak features, design, and functionality. We're also continuing to hear rumors about the iPhone 17 lineup that is now just about right around the corner, while Apple's latest big-budget film appears to be taking off, so read on...

Top Rated Comments

countryside Avatar
54 months ago
I bet that gets complicated when signing in on a non-Apple device... I have found Sign in with Apple to be difficult enough at times.
Score: 30 Votes (Like | Disagree)
AngerDanger Avatar
54 months ago

I bet that gets complicated when signing in on a non-Apple device... I have found Sign in with Apple to be difficult enough at times.
So you see why Apple would love this.
Score: 22 Votes (Like | Disagree)
nutmac Avatar
54 months ago
Along with 2FA, this is a great stuff.

However, I wish Apple would make an app for managing passwords, credit cards, and passkeys. Burying them in the Settings app (or Safari Passwords Preferences or awful Keychain Access utility in macOS) is just not scalable.
Score: 12 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Spudlicious Avatar
54 months ago

Potential accidental slip that the new iPhone will have both Touch ID and Face ID.

(Touch ID anywhere under the screen)
Or could be just recognising the vast number of Touch ID devices in existence and still (MacBooks, iPhone SE) being sold.
Score: 11 Votes (Like | Disagree)
8CoreWhore Avatar
54 months ago
Guys.... they want to REPLACE passwords... not manage them. And they want it open for all platforms not just Apple.
Score: 11 Votes (Like | Disagree)
jz0309 Avatar
54 months ago

Potential accidental slip that the new iPhone will have both Touch ID and Face ID.

(Touch ID anywhere under the screen)
why? it's an ios15 feature, iOS will work on older touchid iPhones, so good backward thinking by Apple
Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)