Log in to a Mac or iOSusing passwordless not really possible

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Level 1

24 points

Log in to a Mac or iOSusing passwordless not really possible

Apple is advocating for a passwordless future with passkeys instead. But how does this rime with the constant need to use passwords to authenticate to a Mac every 48 hours or every logout / reboot of a Mac and after every reboot of an iOS / iPadOS device? isn't the whole idea of passwordless to get RID of passwords altogether? This ridiculous demand for using passwords almost every day on apple devices but NOT on services using passkeys and Apple Keychain is really confusing. Microsoft has been able to solve this by letting users REMOVE passwords altogether from their Microsoft accounts and very soon also corporate accounts not demanding password logins at all. Why is this so hard for Apple? Why not let us log in to a Mac with our fingerprints or authenticate using a second trusted device instead of having to type in the Mac account password all the time? Sonoma and iOS 18 are soon here but there is no mention of this feature being on the horizon, so it will be another 18 months at least before Apple can implement it. its maddening to be using passwords and single factor to log in to a Mac in 2024, when I have been happily using face recognition on my PC to log in without ever using a password for at least 8 years now! HELLO! It's not secure to be able to unlock a Mac with only a password! and having to use a password this often tend to result in poorer passwords being used as a result. I'm starting to doubt apples commitment to passwordless when they so blatantly skip their own platform like this. Not even FIDO2 keys are built in to macOS but require special configurations and an added app to work!

Posted on Jul 1, 2024 1:16 AM

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Answer 1

WheelieNick

Level 8

38,813 points

Jul 1, 2024 2:18 AM in response to Driver28

The passcode/password of your iPhone is not a password for an internet account. Passkeys are used for an internet account.

For the Mac you can use an Apple Watch to unlock it, or if you have a keyboard with Touch ID, Touch ID. For the safety and security of your MacBook , after a reboot you'll need to give up your password. In the future, maybe local accounts can get to work with passkeys as well, but for now, the passkeys are most of the time used for internet accounts

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Answer 2

Driver28 Author

Level 1

24 points

Jul 1, 2024 3:14 AM in response to WheelieNick

Hi!

im well aware of this, but why not use passkeys and applied to log into a Mac? The need for constant password validation makes Mac insecure. It’s not more secure to force the use of a password after every reboot or even periodically because it enforces the use of a password at all. Passwordless is NOT having to authenticate with a password this frequently. Why not validate your identity with biometrics on your iPhone with your Appleid instead of the password. It’s like Apple distrust the authentication methods they say they promote to get rid of passwords.

having to enter a password several times a week even if you use your computer daily is crippling to this mission. Also it kind of makes people use a less secure password since it’s used so often despite having created a biometric method for logging in. It’s not a sound solution and this has to change.

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