Passkeys, which provide passwordless authentication using private cryptographic keys, are gaining momentum among major players in the tech industry. Apple, which introduced passkey support on its iOS platform last year, recently announced that it will release an API designed for the fall release of iOS 17, allowing passkeys to work with third-party software. In addition, Apple is expanding support for passkeys on its Safari browser on Macs, iPhones, and iPads, with expanded passkey support set to appear in the upcoming Safari 17 browser release.
Passkeys offer several advantages, including faster logins, as data from Google revealed that users can authenticate with passkeys in an average of 14.9 seconds, half the time it takes to sign in with passwords. Passkeys are also more resilient to phishing attacks than other forms of multifactor authentication (MFA), as each passkey has a unique private and public key tied to a specific device. They also rely on biometric identification instead of passwords, making them resistant to phishing attacks.
Apple’s passkey API will enable developers to integrate passkeys into third-party apps, including password managers. Managed Apple IDs are also being supported through iCloud Keychain, which will let third-party password managers from companies such as 1Password and Dashlane save and exchange passwords on Apple devices using passkeys. 1Password recently announced its integration of the new passkey API into its password manager, with CEO Steve Won noting that the API would make passkeys more useful on iPhones.
Google has also been making progress with passkeys, with users and administrators of Google Workspace and Google Cloud now able to log in to their accounts with their passkeys. The tech giant sees passkeys as an easier and more secure form of authentication. Google’s latest move has been seen as a significant boost for passkeys by Andrew Shikiar, the executive director of the FIDO Alliance.
Several large organizations are running pilots with passkeys, including banks, PayPal, Home Depot, Hyatt Hotels, Intuit, and Shopify. Hyatt has been using FIDO authentication with YubiKeys from Yubico to provide passwordless authentication to hotel clerks and call center employees. The company recently added passkey support to its World of Hyatt app, leading to a spike in passkey creations on the day Google announced passkey support in Google Accounts.
Passkeys are expected to gain further momentum as more organizations adopt them, with their faster logins and heightened security measures gaining favor with users.