Meta is rolling out a significant security and convenience upgrade for its users: official passkey support for Facebook and Messenger on mobile devices. This long-awaited feature promises a simpler, more secure way to log into your social media accounts, moving beyond traditional passwords.
What Are Passkeys and How Do They Work?
Passkeys are essentially digital credentials designed to replace cumbersome passwords. Instead of typing in complex character strings you have to remember (or worse, reuse), passkeys leverage your device’s built-in security methods. This means you can log in using the same secure verification you already use to unlock your smartphone or computer, such as:
Fingerprint scan
Face recognition
A secure device PIN
Think of it as using the trusted methods already protecting your phone to grant access to your Facebook and Messenger accounts.
Why Passkeys Are More Secure Than Passwords
Passkeys offer a significant security upgrade over standard passwords and even two-factor authentication methods relying on SMS codes. Here’s why:
Phishing Resistance: Passkeys are highly resistant to phishing and scam links. Unlike passwords, they cannot be easily guessed or stolen by malicious websites tricking you into revealing credentials. The underlying technology uses cryptographic data transfer, meaning your actual login information remains securely stored on your device and is not transmitted in a way that can be intercepted like a password typed into a fake site.
Protection Against Leaks: Passkeys eliminate the risk of your login credentials being exposed through website data breaches, as they aren’t stored on service provider servers in a vulnerable password format.
Resistant to Brute Force: They are inherently resistant to attacks like password spraying, where hackers try common passwords against many accounts.
Local Data Storage: Crucially, the sensitive information used to verify your identity for the passkey – your fingerprint data, face scan, or device PIN – stays entirely on your device. Meta explicitly states it will never see, share, or store this information.
While passkeys significantly enhance security, it’s worth noting that the strength can vary slightly depending on the method used; a biometric scan like a fingerprint or face ID is generally considered more secure than a simple four-digit PIN.
Rollout Details and What’s Next
The implementation of passkey support is rolling out soon for Facebook users on iOS and Android mobile devices. Messenger users will need to wait a bit longer, with Meta indicating the feature will arrive for the messaging platform in the coming months. Once available for both, the convenience factor increases further, as the same passkey* can be used to log into both your Facebook and Messenger accounts.
Meta isn’t stopping there. The company has plans to integrate passkeys further into its ecosystem. Future applications include using your passkey to securely autofill payment information when making purchases using Meta Pay. Additionally, passkeys are planned to add an extra layer of protection for encrypted message backups in Messenger, complementing Meta’s ongoing efforts to enhance messaging security, such as the broader rollout of end-to-end encryption.
Catching Up to the Trend
While a welcome and necessary update, Facebook has been relatively slow to adopt passkey technology compared to many other major online platforms. Companies like Google have offered this feature for years, and others including X (formerly Twitter), Microsoft, Amazon, eBay, PayPal, WhatsApp, TikTok, and LinkedIn have already jumped onboard. Among Meta’s platforms, Instagram remains a notable holdout for now. Cybersecurity experts have long advocated for social platforms to implement passkey access due to its robust security benefits.
Setting Up Your Passkey
Setting up a passkey for your Facebook account is designed to be a straightforward process. You’ll be able to initiate the setup and manage your passkeys through the Accounts Center within your Facebook settings. You might also be prompted to set up a passkey the next time you log into the app.
It’s important to note that the introduction of passkeys doesn’t immediately eliminate other login methods. You will still have the option to log in using your traditional password or other previously available methods, ensuring you can access your account even from devices or browsers that may not yet fully support passkeys.
The addition of passkey support is a significant step forward, offering Facebook and Messenger users a considerably more secure and streamlined way to protect and access their accounts.
