Apple is now just days away from beginning its hacker-busting plot to kill off passwords.
All iPhone owners will have the chance to start binning passwords in favour of Apple’s slick new alternative.
It might sound strange, but passwords are actually a very poor security system.
Cyber-security experts have been warning about the failures of passwords for years.
Simple passwords are easily guessed – and even complicated ones can be hacked or leaked.
We’re now signing in to more apps and services than ever before, and more of our personal life is now on the internet.
Now Apple is introducing passwordless logins on iOS 16 for iPhone and macOS Ventura for Mac later this year.
The major change was announced back in June at Apple’s WWDC 2022event.
And it’ll take shape in September, when iOS 16 launches alongside the rumoured iPhone 14 – now just a few weeks away.
It works using a new system called Passkeys.
Instead of signing up (or logging in) to a website using a password, you’ll use a Passkey.
And you simply authenticate who you are using your fingerprint (Touch ID) or face (Face ID) on an iPhone or Mac.
It’ll be just as quick to log in, and means you’ll have a login that simply can’t be guessed or leaked.
Your Passkeys are stored on your devices, but will sync across multiple gadgets using Apple’s iCloud Keychain – which already exists to track passwords.
Nobody can read your Passkeys, Apple included.
And it means you can’t be tricked into handing over a password through phishing – because you won’t have any information to hand across.
The ultimate plan is to allow Passkeys to work on non-Apple devices too, including Windows laptops and Android phones.
Microsoft and Google have both been developing passwordless systems for years.
We’re expecting the new iOS 16 to go live in September.
It’s currently being tested right now – you can join the iOS 16 public beta here.
Once iOS 16 is fully live, make sure to download and install it as soon as possible.
