Apple demos passkeys, to let users set up accounts with just Face ID or Touch ID, joining Microsoft and Google in advocating for passwordless authentication
a potentially major replacement to password login — for a developer session debut. It's based on @FIDOAlliance WebAuthn so in principle easier for websites/device makers to adopt. Tip @Techmeme https://www.cnet.com/... Stephen Shankland / @stshank : Apple says it's got a fix for the flaws of password logon: passkeys for iCloud Keychain, freshly revealed at #WWDC21. They're much more secure than conventional passwords but also easier to use than most alternatives, Apple argues. https://www.cnet.com/... Thanks: @stshank
Context & Ripple Effects
Apple’s iCloud Keychain proposal puts biometric device authentication behind a FIDO Alliance WebAuthn-based approach, giving developers a standards-based alternative to passwords rather than another Apple-only login mechanism. The later coverage traces its move from proposal to planned iOS and macOS support.
The broader ecosystem followed the same path: Google tested passkeys in Android and Chrome before enabling them for all Google accounts, while 1Password announced cross-platform passkey support.
First-order effects
- Apple developers and iCloud Keychain users gain a route to create and access accounts through Face ID or Touch ID instead of creating a conventional password.
- Websites and device makers can target a WebAuthn-based login flow, reducing the need to build proprietary biometric authentication schemes.
Second-order effects
- Google and Microsoft face stronger pressure to make passwordless sign-in work across their own account and device ecosystems; Google’s subsequent Android and Chrome rollout shows that response.
- Password managers become part of the interoperability layer rather than just password vaults, as 1Password’s announced iOS and Android passkey support illustrates.
Third-order effects
- If cross-platform implementations continue to converge on FIDO-based passkeys, passwords shift from the primary credential to a compatibility fallback for services that have not adopted the standard.
- Account access becomes more closely tied to preauthenticated devices and their platform credential managers, increasing the strategic importance of cross-device portability.
The trend: Consumer authentication is moving from user-created shared secrets toward standards-based cryptographic credentials mediated by trusted devices.