Let’s all admit it: we have a toxic relationship with passwords. We hate creating them (“must contain an uppercase letter, a number, and the blood of an ancient god”). We hate remembering them, which is why we reuse the same three across 100 different websites. We live in constant, low-grade fear of data breaches that spill our credentials onto the dark web. The password is a 60-year-old security method that is fundamentally broken.

For years, we’ve patched it with password managers and two-factor authentication, but those are just band-aids on a mortal wound. Now, the real replacement is here, and it’s rolling out across all the major services you use. It’s called a passkey, and it’s designed to be simpler, stronger, and to finally kill the password for good.

Here’s what you need to know and how to get started today.

What Exactly IS a Passkey? (And Why Is It So Much Better?)

A passkey isn’t something you have to remember. It’s a unique, cryptographic key that’s stored securely on your device (your phone, laptop, or tablet). It’s made of two parts: a public key that gets saved on the website’s server, and a private key that never leaves your device.

When you want to log in, you simply use your device’s built-in security—Face ID, a fingerprint scan, or your device PIN. This action proves to the website that you are you, and that you have the device with the correct private key. That’s it.

This simple change has three enormous benefits:

• It’s Phishing-Proof: You can’t be tricked into typing your passkey into a fake website. The key is cryptographically tied to the legitimate website’s domain. The most common form of online identity theft is rendered obsolete.
• It Makes Data Breaches (Almost) Irrelevant: If a website’s servers are hacked, the attackers only get a list of useless public keys. Your private key—the one that actually matters—remains safe and sound on your personal device.
• It’s Incredibly Simple: No more typing complex strings of characters. Just look at your phone or touch a sensor. It’s faster, easier, and more intuitive.

How to Get Started with Passkeys: A 4-Step Guide

The best part is that this isn’t some future tech; you can start using passkeys right now on major sites like Google, PayPal, TikTok, eBay, Amazon, and many more.

Step 1: Have a Modern Device & Ecosystem Passkeys are managed by your device’s main account, like your Apple ID (via iCloud Keychain) or your Google Account (via Google Password Manager). As long as you have a reasonably modern smartphone or computer that supports biometric authentication, you’re ready.

Step 2: Find the “Upgrade to Passkey” Option Go to a website that supports passkeys. Log in one last time with your old password, and navigate to the Security or Account Settings section. Look for an option that says “Create a passkey” or “Add passkey.”

Step 3: Create Your First Passkey When you click to create a passkey, your computer or phone will open a native prompt. It will ask you to approve the creation using your fingerprint, face, or device PIN. You authenticate, and you’re done. A passkey is now saved to your device and securely synced across your ecosystem (for example, from your iPhone to your MacBook via iCloud).

Step 4: Experience the New Login The next time you visit that site, the login process will be magical. You’ll enter your username (or the site will remember it), and it will automatically prompt you to sign in with your saved passkey. A quick glance or touch, and you’re in.

What If I Lose My Phone?

This is the most common question, and the answer is simple: your passkeys are backed up to your cloud account (iCloud or Google). When you get a new phone and sign back into your Apple or Google account, your passkeys are securely restored along with your contacts and photos. It’s often easier than restoring a traditional password manager.

The transition won’t happen overnight, but it is happening much faster than you think. Take ten minutes today to create passkeys for your most important accounts. You’ll be upgrading your security to the modern standard and taking your first step into a much simpler, password-free future.