iOS 18 and macOS Sequoia Let Websites and Apps Automatically Update Existing Logins to Passkeys

With the new Passwords app in iOS 18, iPadOS 18, and macOS Sequoia, there's a feature that is designed to allow websites and apps to upgrade existing accounts to passkeys automatically.

ios 18 passkey upgrade
Enabled by default, the feature will speed up the adoption of passkeys, which are more secure than a traditional login and password. Passkeys log you in with Face ID or Touch ID rather than a password, and because on-device authentication is required, passkeys put a stop to online attacks like phishing. There's no password to steal or authentication code that can be intercepted.

Several popular websites and services have implemented Passkey support since Apple started using passkeys in 2022, including Twitter, Google, WhatsApp, TikTok, PayPal, Best Buy, Microsoft, PlayStation, and eBay.

Passkeys are supported in the new Passwords app that's available in iOS 18, iPadOS 18, macOS Sequoia, and Windows PCs through iCloud for Windows.

Related Forums: iOS 18, iPadOS 18, macOS Sequoia

Popular Stories

iphone 17 models

No iPhone 18 Launch This Year, Reports Suggest

Thursday January 1, 2026 8:43 am PST by
Apple is not expected to release a standard iPhone 18 model this year, according to a growing number of reports that suggest the company is planning a significant change to its long-standing annual iPhone launch cycle. Despite the immense success of the iPhone 17 in 2025, the iPhone 18 is not expected to arrive until the spring of 2027, leaving the iPhone 17 in the lineup as the latest...
samsung crease less foldable display ces 2026%402x

Foldable iPhone's Crease-Free Display Tech Spotted at CES 2026

Tuesday January 6, 2026 3:04 am PST by
CES 2026 has just provided a first glimpse of the folding display technology that Apple is expected to use in its upcoming foldable iPhone. At the event, Samsung Display briefly showcased its new crease-less foldable OLED panel beside a Galaxy Z Fold 7, and according to SamMobile, which saw the test booth before it was abruptly removed, the new panel "has no crease at all" in comparison. The ...
airpods pro 3 glitter

AirPods New Year's Deals Include Up to $99 Off AirPods Max, AirPods Pro 3, and AirPods 4

Sunday January 4, 2026 8:04 am PST by
Now that the calendar has flipped over into January, steep discounts on popular Apple products have become more rare after the holidays. However, if you didn't get a new pair of AirPods recently and are looking for a model on sale, Amazon does have a few solid second-best prices this week. Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with some of these vendors. When you click a link and make a...
govee floor lamp

CES 2026: Govee Announces New Matter-Connected Ceiling and Floor Lights

Sunday January 4, 2026 5:00 am PST by
Govee today introduced three new HomeKit-compatible lighting products, including the Govee Floor Lamp 3, the Govee Ceiling Light Ultra, and the Govee Sky Ceiling Light. The Govee Floor Lamp 3 is the successor to the Floor Lamp 2, and it offers Matter integration with the option to connect to HomeKit. The Floor Lamp 3 offers an upgraded LuminBlend+ lighting system that can reproduce 281...
AirPods Pro 3 Year of the Horse Feature

Apple Launches Year of the Horse AirPods Pro 3 for Lunar New Year

Monday January 5, 2026 11:28 am PST by
Apple has designed a limited edition version of the AirPods Pro 3 to celebrate Lunar New Year, and customers in select countries can purchase them starting today. The Year of the Horse Special Edition AirPods Pro 3 feature a unique horse emoji character that's otherwise unavailable. Customers in China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Malaysia, and Singapore are able to buy the AirPods, and they'll be...
Belkin 25W Battery magnetic

CES 2026: Belkin Announces Magnetic Ring Power Bank, Modular Dock, and More

Sunday January 4, 2026 3:02 pm PST by
Belkin today announced a range of new charging and connectivity accessories at CES 2026, expanding its portfolio of products aimed at Apple device users. UltraCharge Pro Power Bank 10K with Magnetic Ring The lineup includes new Qi2 and Qi2.2 wireless chargers, magnetic power banks, a high-capacity laptop battery, and USB-C productivity accessories, with an emphasis on higher charging...
m4 macbook air blue 2

iPadOS and macOS 26.2 Double 5GHz Wi-Fi Bandwidth for Wi-Fi 6E Devices

Monday January 5, 2026 1:57 pm PST by
With the release of iPadOS 26.2 and macOS Tahoe 26.2, Apple has improved the Wi-Fi speeds for select Macs and iPads that support Wi-Fi 6E. Updated Wi-Fi connectivity specifications are listed in Apple's platform deployment guide. The M4 iPad Pro models, M3 iPad Air models, A17 Pro iPad mini, M2 to M5 MacBook Pro models, M2, M3, and M4 MacBook Air models, and other Wi-Fi 6E Macs and iPads now ...
anker new charger 2026

Anker Introduces Pre-Order Discounts on 2026 Nano Chargers, Alongside Big New Year's Sale

Monday January 5, 2026 10:17 am PST by
Anker announced a new series of products at CES this week, and most of them will begin rolling out to customers later in January. A few of these devices, including the Nano Docking Station and 45W Nano Charger, have pre-order discounts on Anker's website, and we're also tracking big discounts in Anker's New Year's sale. Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with some of these vendors. When...

Top Rated Comments

SpotOnT Avatar
21 months ago
Not a fan of passkeys. They tie you to a specific piece of hardware…which is probably why Apple likes them so much.

I have been in numerous situations where I had to check email/airline accounts/etc from a different device.
Score: 20 Votes (Like | Disagree)
diskrisk Avatar
21 months ago

Not a fan of passkeys. They tie you to a specific piece of hardware…which is probably why Apple likes them so much.
They don't. Passkeys can theoretically be shared (1Password is working to allow this) and multiple passkeys can be generated attached to the same account.
Score: 14 Votes (Like | Disagree)
macduke Avatar
21 months ago
If you are robbed and lose access to all of your Apple devices, how do you login to your insurance provider to file a claim? How do login to anything with only passkeys and no device? Genuinely curious. Can I login to iCloud and use that on a new device or from the web? I’ve been hesitant to upgrade.
Score: 12 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Eminemdrdre00 Avatar
21 months ago

If you are robbed and lose access to all of your Apple devices, how do you login to your insurance provider to file a claim? How do login to anything with only passkeys and no device? Genuinely curious. Can I login to iCloud and use that on a new device or from the web? I’ve been hesitant to upgrade.
They are sync'd with iCloud. So you can log into a new device with your Apple ID and then your passkeys will be available.
Score: 10 Votes (Like | Disagree)
bevel Avatar
21 months ago
This is going to be seen as forced adoption and there is going to be pushback against it

Look at all the confusion in these comments about how passkeys work. A password is easy to understand. Passkeys are the unknown. This will make them difficult to defend

I am not sure what Apple has done is the best idea here. It is at least going to polarise a bunch of people against them
Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)
LightProtector Avatar
21 months ago
This is nice, but I hope it's a prompt that asks. I would really like it to not automatically do something without my consent.

I also wonder how this works? Seems like a good feature nonetheless.
Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)