X, formerly Twitter, now supports passkeys as a login option for iOS users in the United States, the company has announced. Passkeys are both easier to use and more secure than passwords because they let users sign in to apps and sites the same way they unlock their devices: With Face ID, Touch ID, or a device passcode. Passkeys are also resistant to online attacks like phishing, making them more secure than things like SMS one-time codes. Apple integrated passkeys into iOS in 2022 with the launch of iOS 16, and it is also available in iPadOS 16.1 and later as well as macOS Ventura and later. To set up passkeys in X, follow these steps: Log in to the…

WhatsApp is planning to add passkey support to its iPhone app, according to code discovered by software researcher @aaronp613 in the latest beta version of the app. Passkey support would allow iPhone users to sign in to WhatsApp with Face ID, Touch ID, or the device's passcode. Passkeys are stored in iCloud Keychain. To use passkeys on the iPhone, the device must be updated to iOS 16 or later. "Passkeys are more secure than passwords, because they're uniquely generated for every account by your own device, and are less vulnerable to phishing," says Apple. "And they work on all your devices that are signed in to the same Apple ID." It's unclear when WhatsApp plans to make this functionality available…

Amazon today announced that it has added passkey support to its desktop sites and mobile apps, allowing customers to sign in to their accounts without the need for a password. Passkeys are a more secure alternative to passwords because a passkey cannot be shared with another person through a phishing attempt or leaked online through a database hack. Passkeys do not require customers to remember a password or add a two-factor authentication code, but they do require a verified device. Passkeys can be set up in the Amazon settings, and on an iPhone, iPad, or Mac, logging in to an Amazon account can be done with a Face ID or Touch ID scan once the feature is turned on. To…

TikTok has announced it is introducing support for passkeys, providing an easier and more secure login method for users of the popular short-form video platform. Apple integrated passkeys into iOS with the launch of iOS 16, and they are also available in iPadOS 16.1 and later and macOS Ventura. Passkeys are an industry standard developed by the FIDO Alliance and the World Wide Web Consortium, so TikTok's passkey integration will work on Apple devices as well as on other devices that support the feature. Passkeys are both easier to use and more secure than passwords because they let users sign in to apps and sites the same way they unlock their devices: With a fingerprint, a face scan or a…

The iOS 17 and iPadOS 17 updates include a number of privacy and security improvements that make your devices safer than ever, with Apple restricting access to photos and calendar events and cutting down further on how websites track you across the web. Private Browsing Upgrades in Safari In Safari, Private browsing windows are now locked and require secondary authentication to unlock and access. If you hand your phone over to someone and they attempt to open your Safari private browsing tab, access will be denied without a Face ID/Touch ID scan or a passcode. The Private tab is locked automatically. Tracking URL Removal Opening up a URL in a private browsing window automatically strips all tracking information added to…

Macworld “Passkey” is the name for a simplified login process to websites that arrived in its full glory later this year with macOS 13 Ventura, iOS 16, and iPadOS 16. A passkey relies on broadly supported industry standards to let you carry out an encrypted login with almost no effort on your part after the initial setup. You can try a passkey without installing the public betas of these upcoming operating systems, as Apple built passkey support in a preview form into Safari across all its operating systems in iOS 15, iPadOS 15, and Safari 15 with macOS 12 Monterey. With the full release of passkeys in a few weeks or months, and Google and Microsoft’s announced support for compatible technology, you’re…