Passkeys everywhere: Google password manager now properly supports iPhones
The password management integrated into the Chrome browser did not previously synchronize Passkeys with iOS devices. This is now changing.
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Google is making the use of passkeys more convenient for users who use different operating systems: The Google password manager now also synchronizes passkeys on iPhones and iPads for the first time – access is possible via the Chrome browser. The Passkey transfer takes place in both directions, as Google announced on Thursday. This means that new passkeys created in Chrome on iOS and iPadOS will automatically land on all other devices – and vice versa.
Google's passkey support previously excluded iOS
Although Google's password management has supported passkeys on iOS and iPadOS for some time now, this was previously a stand-alone solution that was confusing for many users: Passkeys created or saved in Android, Windows or even macOS ultimately did not end up on a user's iPhone or iPad. A passkey created in Chrome on iOS or iPadOS was previously saved by Google's password management in Apple's password app and only synchronized via it.
However, users have to take action themselves for cross-platform synchronization and observe various requirements and settings, as Google explains in a blog post. The passkey sync only works from iOS and iPadOS version 17; in older versions of the operating systems, Chrome continues to store the passkeys in Apple's password management or the iCloud keychain.
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Activate passkey sync in the iPhone settings
To activate the function, Chrome must also be added as a source in "Settings > General > Autofill & Passwords". In addition, another – PIN consisting of six digits by default – must be set up for recovery as soon as the first passkey is created in Google's password management on iOS. Passkeys are protected by end-to-end encryption, Google emphasizes. The PIN is therefore required on iOS to enable access on a new device – on Android this works much more conveniently via fingerprint or facial recognition.
Although Apple also makes its in-house platform management available in other operating systems such as Windows and browsers such as Firefox and Chrome, there is no support for Android at all.
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