WeChat Rolls Out Passkey Support for iOS Users Outside China

WeChat is introducing passkey support for its iOS app, allowing users outside of China to sign in to the country's dominant messaging platform using Face ID, Touch ID, or their device passcode instead of traditional passwords.

wechat logo
Apple introduced passkeys in iOS 16 to provide users with a more secure and convenient authentication method than entering a password. Passkeys offer enhanced security by reducing common risks associated with traditional passwords, such as phishing attacks and credential theft. Since authentication occurs directly on the user's device using biometric data or their device passcode, there are no passwords to compromise or intercept.

To set up a passkey, WeChat users need an iPhone or iPad running iOS 16 or iPadOS 16 or later with iCloud Keychain and two-factor authentication enabled for their Apple Account. Users can enable the feature through WeChat's Account & Security settings, according to a new WeChat support document.

Tencent-owned WeChat joins a growing list of major platforms that have adopted passkey technology, including Google, PayPal, Microsoft, and TikTok. In WeChat, the feature is currently limited to users outside of China, and there's no word on if or when it might expand to the app's domestic Chinese version.

Popular Stories

iphone 16 display

iPhone 17's Scratch Resistant Anti-Reflective Display Coating Canceled

Monday April 28, 2025 12:48 pm PDT by
Apple may have canceled the super scratch resistant anti-reflective display coating that it planned to use for the iPhone 17 Pro models, according to a source with reliable information that spoke to MacRumors. Last spring, Weibo leaker Instant Digital suggested Apple was working on a new anti-reflective display layer that was more scratch resistant than the Ceramic Shield. We haven't heard...
iPhone 17 Air Pastel Feature

iPhone 17 Reaches Key Milestone Ahead of Mass Production

Monday April 28, 2025 8:44 am PDT by
Apple has completed Engineering Validation Testing (EVT) for at least one iPhone 17 model, according to a paywalled preview of an upcoming DigiTimes report. iPhone 17 Air mockup based on rumored design The EVT stage involves Apple testing iPhone 17 prototypes to ensure the hardware works as expected. There are still DVT (Design Validation Test) and PVT (Production Validation Test) stages to...
Beyond iPhone 13 Better Blue

20th Anniversary iPhone Likely to Be Made in China Due to 'Extraordinarily Complex' Design

Monday April 28, 2025 4:29 am PDT by
Apple will likely manufacture its 20th anniversary iPhone models in China, despite broader efforts to shift production to India, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. In 2027, Apple is planning a "major shake-up" for the iPhone lineup to mark two decades since the original model launched. Gurman's previous reporting indicates the company will introduce a foldable iPhone alongside a "bold"...
apple watch ultra yellow

What's Next for the Apple Watch Ultra 3 and Apple Watch SE 3

Friday April 25, 2025 2:44 pm PDT by
This week marks the 10th anniversary of the Apple Watch, which launched on April 24, 2015. Yesterday, we recapped features rumored for the Apple Watch Series 11, but since 2015, the Apple Watch has also branched out into the Apple Watch Ultra and the Apple Watch SE, so we thought we'd take a look at what's next for those product lines, too. 2025 Apple Watch Ultra 3 Apple didn't update the...
iphone 17 air iphone 16 pro

iPhone 17 Air USB-C Port May Have This Unusual Design Quirk

Wednesday April 30, 2025 3:59 am PDT by
Apple is preparing to launch a dramatically thinner iPhone this September, and if recent leaks are anything to go by, the so-called iPhone 17 Air could boast one of the most radical design shifts in recent years. iPhone 17 Air dummy model alongside iPhone 16 Pro (credit: AppleTrack) At just 5.5mm thick (excluding a slightly raised camera bump), the 6.6-inch iPhone 17 Air is expected to become ...
iPhone 17 Pro Blue Feature Tighter Crop

iPhone 17 Pro Launching Later This Year With These 13 New Features

Wednesday April 23, 2025 8:31 am PDT by
While the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max are not expected to launch until September, there are already plenty of rumors about the devices. Below, we recap key changes rumored for the iPhone 17 Pro models as of April 2025: Aluminum frame: iPhone 17 Pro models are rumored to have an aluminum frame, whereas the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro models have a titanium frame, and the iPhone ...
iPhone 17 Pro on Desk Feature

All iPhone 17 Models Again Rumored to Feature 12GB of RAM

Tuesday April 29, 2025 3:36 am PDT by
All upcoming iPhone 17 models will come equipped with 12GB of RAM to support Apple Intelligence, according to the Weibo-based leaker Digital Chat Station. The claim from the Chinese leaker, who has sources within Apple's supply chain, comes a few days after industry analyst Ming-Chi Kuo said that the iPhone 17 Air, iPhone 17 Pro, and iPhone 17 Pro Max will all be equipped with 12GB of RAM. ...
AirPods Pro 3 Mock Feature

AirPods Pro 3 Just Months Away – Here's What We Know

Tuesday April 29, 2025 1:30 am PDT by
Despite being more than two years old, Apple's AirPods Pro 2 still dominate the premium wireless‑earbud space, thanks to a potent mix of top‑tier audio, class‑leading noise cancellation, and Apple's habit of delivering major new features through software updates. With AirPods Pro 3 widely expected to arrive in 2025, prospective buyers now face a familiar dilemma: snap up the proven...

Top Rated Comments

2128506 Avatar
24 weeks ago
Yay, Chinese government can spy on you using Passkeys now. Nice!
Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)
jaytv111 Avatar
24 weeks ago

who introduced them (it wasn’t apple),

Apple introduced passkeys in iOS 16
Seems to be your misinterpretation, iOS is last I checked Apple's so it's correct to say Apple introduced passkeys in iOS. It certainly wasn't Microsoft introducing passkeys in iOS. It didn't say Apple invented passkeys or that they introduced passkeys to a nonspecific product.
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
flyingember Avatar
24 weeks ago

Which part do you think is wrong?
Where you have to store it, who introduced them (it wasn’t apple), that you have to use biometrics to use them, implying you only store them in iCloud Keychain, that they protect from credential theft (depends on how the site uses them) and there’s no password involved

so basically everything

It wasn’t my first info but I went to a multi hour event hosted by the Fido alliance at RSAC and they were sharing future state of the tech at it. I work in identity and access management and am championing passkeys in my role
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Hank001 Avatar
24 weeks ago

To a lot of websites I have two accounts. How does this work with passkeys?
Perhaps your other MR account can answer that question(?)
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Hank001 Avatar
24 weeks ago

Only one account here ?

But on Amazon for example I use a business account and a private account.
Sorry for trying to be funny. It's just...one of those days.

Anyway, I do the same. Multiple accounts. Sometimes just to see how others see my activity on a site.
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
mystery hill Avatar
24 weeks ago

Where you have to store it
The article doesn’t mention other places to store passkeys, but most readers would probably be using iCloud Keychain.


who introduced them (it wasn’t apple)
Apple were the first to use the term “passkeys” for WebAuthn credentials.
https://www.theverge.com/2022/8/5/23293643/apple-passkeys-fido-alliance-passwordless-google-microsoft


that you have to use biometrics to use them
It does say that you can use a passcode.

using Face ID, Touch ID, or their device passcode

that they protect from credential theft (depends on how the site uses them)
Only the public key is sent to the web server. The passkey is generated on the device and backed up to iCloud and synced to other devices using end-to-end encryption. This does offer protection in the event of credential theft compared to passwords.

There isn’t any password involved if using passkeys with iCloud Keychain.
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)