Meta Passkey Support Is Now Available for Facebook, Messenger for Password-Less Logins

The need for entering usernames and passwords to login to Facebook and Messenger is now over as Meta officially announced the arrival of Passkeys to both platforms for all authentication needs. There would only be one login needed for each platform to get started, and then users may start to set up their Passkeys to verify their identity and credentials when needed.

Apart from convenience, Passkeys are known for also adding another layer of privacy and security for users to take advantage of, with different methods of the feature available on Meta's platforms.

Meta Adds Passkey Support for Facebook, Messenger

Meta announced in its latest blog post that Facebook and Messenger are now supporting Passkeys, allowing users to set up their new way to log in to their accounts and authenticate their credentials. According to the company, this is a significant upgrade to the traditional username-password combo as well as using two-factor authentication as it will require users to utilize biometric information for their logins.

The company claimed that using Passkeys could potentially help lessen the massive scams or threats present in the online world, especially in terms of phishing or malware attacks.

There are three methods of Passkey logins on Meta's Facebook and Messenger, including the likes of fingerprint sensors, face scans, or using PIN code to protect one's login credentials. The data from these methods are stored in the owner's devices and not shared with Meta.

Here's How to Setup Your Password-Less Login

According to the company, users may set up Passkeys on Facebook or Messenger by heading to the Accounts Center in the Settings menu of the Facebook app. Users need to go to Password & Security and choose the Passkey umbrella to set up this new method of authentication.

Follow the on-screen steps and successfully store your Passkey on the app, which would then be used for future login or authentication needs for Facebook and Messenger.

Passkeys and What It Brings For Users

Many companies have adopted the passkeys feature for password-less logins, and its goal is to further secure accounts by using biometric data or information to authenticate a login for a certain platform. Google has adopted passkeys for its platforms that are known to be unified under one Google account, and since 2023, the company has made it their default sign-in method for those that use eligible devices.

Apart from Google, Apple is also one to adopt passkeys and take advantage of its biometric scanners on different devices, like the iPhone's Face ID and the Mac's fingerprint sensor, for all login needs.

On the other hand, social media platforms have slowly offered support for passkeys, with X adding the capabilities last year to make password-less logins available for its users and improve security on their accounts.

The FIDO Alliance has worked on the passkeys technology to bring password-less logins to all, especially as users could easily get compromised when using the traditional username and password combo to access their accounts. The organization is currently working on allowing users to transfer their passkeys from one device to another, giving users a chance to have it on multiple technologies.