Meta announces passkeys on Facebook to secure mobile logins

You will soon be able to sign in to your Facebook and Messenger accounts without a password, using your fingerprint, face ID or device PIN on your mobile.

Meta has announced the rollout of passkeys on Facebook for iOS and Android devices, offering users a new way to sign in using the fingerprint, facial recognition or PIN already set up on their smartphones.

Months after Meta rolled out the passkey login feature for WhatsApp, Facebook and Messenger to get passkey support too. (Unsplash)

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“Passkeys will soon be available on iOS and Android mobile devices for Facebook, and we will begin rolling out passkeys to Messenger in the coming months,” revealed Meta in an official announcement.

Passkeys offer a passwordless login method that uses your phone’s built-in authentication tools such as fingerprint, facial recognition or a device PIN to verify identity. The credentials are stored locally on the device rather than on servers, making them more secure and resistant to phishing and other cyberattacks.

How does a passkey keep your account secure?

Passkeys are much harder to steal or hack than passwords. Since your fingerprint, face scan or PIN never leaves your device, no one, not even Meta, can access it. This means even if a hacker tricks you with a fake login page, there's nothing for them to steal.

Unlike SMS codes, which can be intercepted, passkeys can’t be reused or phished. Each passkey is unique to your device and account, so even if someone tries to copy it, it won’t work anywhere else. Simply put, it’s a safer, more private way to log in.

What else can you do with your passkey?

You’ll soon be able to use your passkey to autofill payment info with Meta Pay, log in to Messenger and secure your message backups.

How to set up your passkey

• Open the Facebook app on your phone.
• Go to Settings and tap on Accounts Centre.
• Look for the Passkey option and follow the on-screen steps.
• Use your device’s fingerprint, face scan or PIN to create your passkey.

While the arrival of passkeys on Facebook is a welcome improvement, it also highlights Meta’s comparatively slow adoption of this now industry-standard feature. Tech giants like Google, Microsoft, Amazon and PayPal have already been using passkeys to keep their consumers secure. Google has been offering passkeys since 2022, while X (formerly Twitter), eBay and other platforms have already enabled them for a long time.

Meta began supporting passkeys on WhatsApp last year, and Facebook and Messenger are now catching up. However, Instagram still does not support passkeys, and no rollout timeline has been announced. The delay also raises broader questions about Meta’s approach to user security, especially given the company’s sprawling user base across its platforms.