WeChat is introducing passkey support for its iOS app, allowing users outside of China to sign in to the country's dominant messaging platform using Face ID, Touch ID, or their device passcode instead of traditional passwords.Introduced by Apple in iOS 16, passkeys provide a more secure and convenient authentication method.Rather than entering a password, users can quickly access their WeChat accounts through biometric verification on their device.
Passkeys offer enhanced security by eliminating common vulnerabilities associated with traditional passwords, such as phishing attacks and credential theft.Since authentication occurs directly on the user's device using biometric data or their device passcode, there are no passwords to compromise or intercept.To set up a passkey, WeChat users need an iPhone or iPad running iOS 16 or iPadOS 16 or later with iCloud Keychain and two-factor authentication enabled for their Apple Account.
Users can enable the feature through WeChat's Account & Security settings, according to a new WeChat support document.Tencent-owned WeChat joins a growing list of major platforms that have adopted passkey technology, including Google, PayPal, Microsoft, and TikTok.The feature is currently limited to WeChat users outside of China, and there's no word on if or when it might expand to the app's domestic Chinese version.
