How do passkey work?

reck

For the first time today I went to a website on my iPhone and when logging in it asked if I wanted to use a passcode/biometrics. I clicked yes and it then asked me to save it and then I was logged in.

When I checked later it had saved the passkey into my iPhone's passwords and not 1Password.

I later went to login to the same website on my Windows PC and it gave me the option to login using iOS Biometrics, so I selected that option expecting to get a popup on my iPhone asking for FaceID authentication, instead a windows popup came up asking me to insert my security key (USB stick)?

Can someone help me make sense how this works?

1. When I go to a website on my iPhone and it asks me if I want to use a passkey how do I save this through 1Password instead of saving in Safari passwords on the iPhone?

2. Now the passkey is saved on my iPhone how do I move or delete and setup again in 1Password?

3. How do I log into a website on a Windows PC using FaceID on my phone?

Thanks

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GreyM1P

Hey there @reck

I'll come to your questions individually for clarity.

1. When I go to a website on my iPhone and it asks me if I want to use a passkey how do I save this through 1Password instead of saving in Safari passwords on the iPhone?

This isn't supported yet. Only iOS 17 will allow you to save passkeys somewhere other than iCloud Keychain and that's not fully released yet. Also, 1Password for iOS will need to be updated to introduce that functionality.

Until both of those things happen, any passkeys you save on your iPhone can only be saved to iCloud Keychain.

2. Now the passkey is saved on my iPhone how do I move or delete and setup again in 1Password?

You can save and use passkeys in the browser on your computer if you're using the beta versions of both the main 1Password app and the browser extension:

☞ Save and sign in with passkeys in your browser (beta)

You'll be able to save a passkey for that website into 1Password, then you can delete the passkey in iCloud Keychain.

3. How do I log into a website on a Windows PC using FaceID on my phone?

If a website supports passkeys (see our website, https://passkeys.directory/ to check), 1Password in the browser will check to see if you have one saved in 1Password first.

If a passkey isn't found on the device you're using, you'll be able to scan a QR code shown on the screen to use a passkey from a different device instead.

So, let's look at this case. Let's assume 1Password's browser extension doesn't have a passkey for the site in question.

You would go to sign in on the website on your computer and choose to use a passkey. Your browser won't find a saved passkey, so it shows a QR code on the screen instead. You scan this QR code using your iPhone to use the passkey saved there, and authorise its use with Face ID. Your iPhone and computer find each other by Bluetooth automatically (no pairing required), and you're signed in on your computer.

When full support for passkeys is available in iOS 17 (and Android 14, also forthcoming), your passkeys will sync through 1Password just like your passwords do now, so you'll only need to use the QR code method if you're signing in on a public device, you're borrowing someone's device, or situations like that.

I hope that answers your questions fully, but please do let me know if I can be of any further help. :)

— Grey

reck

Thanks for your quick reply Grey. Sounds like things will be in a better place with passkeys once iOS17 is released in September so i'll hang on until then and then revist this. Cheers.

GreyM1P

@reck

You're welcome! And yes, when passkeys are natively supported on all devices, things'll be a lot easier for sure, especially when dealing with cross-platform situations like yours. 1Password will be able to bring a lot more interoperability, and your passkeys will be as easy to save and use as your passwords, no matter what device you're using without them getting "stuck" on one device.

reck

So I’m now running iOS17 so revisiting this post.

I’ve got a passkey setup for a site in 1Password and when I try and log into that site on a windows PC it gives me the option to use “iOS biometrics” or password.

If I select the iOS biometrics option it pops up a box saying “Tap your security key on the reader or insert it into the USB port” so I can’t login.

I thought I’d get a pop up on my iPhone asking me to authenticate with faceID, isn’t this how it’s supposed to work?

Back to using passwords for the time being.

steph.giles

Hey @reck,

I'm sorry for the delay in getting back to you.

Can you let us know the site you are referring to so we can do some testing and provide accurate guidance?

Thank you!

reck

Yeah sure it’s

https://www.virginmedia.com/my-virgin-media

steph.giles

Hey @reck,

I'm sorry for the delay!

Do you see a QR code along with the options when you try to sign in? If you open your camera scan this with your iPhone, does it then offer to sign in with your passkey saved on your iPhone?

reck

I've just tried it again and for the first time it's worked! So I guess they fixed it from their end.

david.m_1P

It's great to hear that it's working, @reck! Let us know if there's anything else we can assist you with.