iOS 17 and macOS Sonoma Add Passkey Support to Your Apple ID

Starting with iOS 17, iPadOS 17, and macOS Sonoma, users with an Apple ID will automatically be assigned a passkey, allowing them to sign into their Apple ID with Face ID or Touch ID instead of their password on various Apple sign-in pages, including icloud.com, appleid.apple.com, appstoreconnect.apple.com, and more.

iOS 17 Passkey With Apple ID Feature 3
Passkeys are a more secure alternative to passwords. Apple explains:

A passkey is a cryptographic entity that's not visible to you, and it's used in place of a password. A passkey consists of a key pair, which—compared to a password—profoundly improves security. One key is public, registered with the website or app you're using. The other key is private, held only by your devices.

Passkey support for Apple IDs will also be available for third-party apps and websites that support the "Sign in with Apple" feature.

Users running beta versions of iOS 17, iPadOS 17, and macOS Sonoma can test this functionality on supported Apple sign-in pages starting today, but it does not yet appear to be available for everyone. All users with an Apple ID will be able to sign in with a passkey once the software updates are released to the public later this year.

Passkey support on the Apple ID page was spotted earlier by Twitter user @aaronp613.

Related Roundups: iOS 17, iPadOS 17, macOS Sonoma
Related Forums: iOS 17, iPadOS 17, macOS Sonoma

Top Rated Comments

Windoes Avatar
20 weeks ago

This is great for all people
Corrected
Score: 25 Votes (Like | Disagree)
mystery hill Avatar
20 weeks ago

Sounds like a very good idea, but what do you do to get support on a Windows machine?
You would scan the QR code displayed on the Windows device with your iPhone.



Attachment Image
Score: 14 Votes (Like | Disagree)
mystery hill Avatar
20 weeks ago

Unfortunately on iOS, the backup to Face-ID for the iPhone's Keychain or PassKeys is the iPhone's passcode. So anyone that has access to your phone and knows the passcode, can use the phone's passcode to log-in to iCloud or Apple ID with this feature.
Anyone who has access to your phone and knows your passcode, can already view all your data on your device. They wouldn’t even need to log in to iCloud.
Score: 10 Votes (Like | Disagree)
sk1ski1 Avatar
20 weeks ago
Unfortunately on iOS, the backup to Face-ID for the iPhone's Keychain or PassKeys is the iPhone's passcode. So anyone that has access to your phone and knows the passcode, can use the phone's passcode to log-in to iCloud or Apple ID with this feature.
Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)
ipedro Avatar
20 weeks ago

Unfortunately on iOS, the backup to Face-ID for the iPhone's Keychain or PassKeys is the iPhone's passcode. So anyone that has access to your phone and knows the passcode, can use the phone's passcode to log-in to iCloud or Apple ID with this feature.
This is a problem, I agree, but one that’s more of a cultural problem than a tech issue and is fairly easy to avoid.

People are so used to typing in their PIN every time they unlock their phone if they’re not using biometric unlock.

People need to be taught to never use their PIN in public and if they absolutely must, then guard it like you do your bank card PIN.

There could be some technology enabled backup solutions like adding a hierarchy of devices with more power over the others, whereas my home Mac can override my iPhone’s lock and revert security changes recently made by the iPhone.
Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Bentham Avatar
20 weeks ago
Eagerly awaiting Beta 2 this week.
Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)

Popular Stories

M3 Chip Apple Event Slide

First Benchmark Results Surface for M3 Chip in New Macs

Wednesday November 1, 2023 7:53 am PDT by
The first benchmark results for the standard M3 chip surfaced in the Geekbench 6 database today, providing a closer look at the chip's CPU performance improvements. Based on the results so far, the M3 chip has single-core and multi-core scores of around 3,000 and 11,700, respectively. The standard M2 chip has single-core and multi-core scores of around 2,600 and 9,700, respectively, so the...
iOS 17

Apple Preparing to Release iOS 17.1.1 Update for iPhone

Thursday November 2, 2023 1:22 pm PDT by
Apple appears to be internally testing an iOS 17.1.1 update for the iPhone, based on evidence of the software in our website's analytics logs this week. iOS 17.1.1 will almost certainly be focused on bug fixes, but it's unclear exactly which issues the update will address. The update could include the same fix for Wi-Fi connectivity issues that Apple rolled out in the first iOS 17.2 beta,...
m3 pro chip

Apple M3 Pro Chip Has 25% Less Memory Bandwidth Than M1/M2 Pro

Tuesday October 31, 2023 3:11 am PDT by
Apple's latest M3 Pro chip in the new 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro has 25% less memory bandwidth than the M1 Pro and M2 Pro chips used in equivalent models from the two previous generations. Based on the latest 3-nanometer technology and featuring all-new GPU architecture, the M3 series of chips is said to represent the fastest and most power-efficient evolution of Apple silicon thus far. ...
AitTag New Firmware

Apple Releases New Firmware for AirTags

Tuesday October 31, 2023 11:26 am PDT by
Apple today released a new firmware update designed for the AirTag item trackers. The firmware features a build number of 2A61, up from the 2A36 firmware that came out last December. It has been nearly a year since Apple updated the firmware on the AirTags, and there is no word yet on what might be included in the update. Today's firmware release will be rolling out on a staggered basis....
M3 Max Chip

M3 Max Chip Around as Fast as M2 Ultra in Early Benchmark Results

Wednesday November 1, 2023 7:27 pm PDT by
The first benchmark results for Apple's M3 Max chip surfaced in the Geekbench 6 database today, providing a look at CPU performance. Based on the "Mac15,9" model identifier shown, the results appear to be for the new 16-inch MacBook Pro. The highest multi-core score for the M3 Max with a 16-core CPU is currently 21,084 as of writing. If this early result is accurate, this means the M3 Max is ...
10 New Features With iOS 17

iOS 17.2 Coming Later This Year With These 10 New Features for iPhone

Friday November 3, 2023 1:23 pm PDT by
Apple made the first beta of iOS 17.2 available to developers and public beta testers last week, and the software update includes many new features and changes for iPhones. Below, we have highlighted 10 of these new features and changes. iOS 17.2 is expected to be released to the public in December. Once available, the update can be installed in the Settings app under General → Software...
Pro Display XDR Red

Macs With M3 Chip Still Officially Support Only a Single External Display

Thursday November 2, 2023 7:41 am PDT by
Macs equipped with the standard M3 chip still support only one external display with up to 6K resolution at 60Hz, according to Apple's tech specs. So far, the chip is available in the entry-level 14-inch MacBook Pro and the 24-inch iMac. This limitation has existed since the first Apple silicon Macs with the M1 chip were released in 2020, but users can connect multiple external displays to...
apple music voice plan feature blue green

Apple Music's Lower-Priced Voice Plan Being Discontinued

Wednesday November 1, 2023 11:51 am PDT by
The lower-cost Apple Music Voice Plan is being discontinued this month in the U.S. and all other countries where it was available, according to an Apple support document. Brazilian website MacMagazine was first to alert us to this news. "Beginning in November, Apple will discontinue the Apple Music Voice plan," said Apple. "We are focused on delivering the best, most robust music experience...