iOS 17 and macOS Sonoma now support passkeys with Apple IDs

Passwords are so last year. Apple’s new passkey feature lets you sign in with your Apple ID on the web without typing a single character.

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Apple has confirmed that beginning with iOS 17, iPadOS 17, and macOS Sonoma, users with Apple ID will be automatically assigned a passkey, through which they’ll be able to sign seamlessly into their Apple ID on the web – no passwords required.

The updates, which were first unveiled at WWDC earlier this month, are currently undergoing beta testing. But according to reports, developers and users testing these versions out are now also able to use Apple ID to log into just about anywhere their Apple account is linked – and not just on Apple.com and icloud.com.

So, if you spot the “Continue with Apple” button anywhere, clicking it will not ask you for your password to sign in on iOS 17. Apple says that passkeys will be widely available “later this year.”

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For the uninitiated, passkeys are a new way of signing into websites and apps without using passwords. They are based on a standard developed by the FIDO Alliance, which is supported by Microsoft, Apple, Google, and other companies.

Passkeys are stored in hardware and protected by biometrics or PINs. They are also encrypted and synced across devices using cloud services. Passkeys are more secure and convenient than passwords, as they prevent phishing, credential stuffing, and other account takeover attacks. Both Apple and Google are planning to eventually phase out passwords, which are prone to hacks, and replace them with the more secure passkeys.