Bitwarden adds mobile passkey support for everyone
Bitwarden has announced the availability of mobile passkey support for everyone. Setting Bitwarden as the default passkey provider, users can generate and use passkeys seamlessly on mobile devices and desktop browsers, combining the convenience of synced vaults with the seamless security of passkeys. Passkeys on Bitwarden Password Manager mobile apps are available for Apple iOS and in open beta for Android.
The update ensures that once a passkey is created on a mobile device, it is immediately available in the Bitwarden browser extension on desktops and vice versa. This ensures users can maintain a consistent and smooth authentication experience, whether they are using Google Chrome on a Windows laptop or Safari on an iOS device.
Passkeys ensure a more secure authentication method than traditional passwords by employing a secure, cryptographic methodology that uses a pair of keys: a public key stored on passkey-enabled websites and a private key on a user’s device. Passkeys cannot be guessed and are never transmitted to the website or app a user is logging into. Guided by FIDO Alliance and the World Wide Web Consortium (WC3) standards, passkeys are built on WebAuthn protocols that protect against phishing attacks and create a more convenient and secure passwordless login experience.
Mobile passkey support simplifies the login process wherever users log in. Whether on a computer browser or mobile app, Bitwarden syncs passkeys across devices, ensuring users never have to worry about where a passkey was created or stored.
“It was just two years ago that FIDO Alliance, alongside the world’s largest platform providers, introduced the vision for passkeys to accelerate the scale and usability of password-free sign-ins,” says Andrew Shikiar, the Alliance’s executive director and CEO. “The market’s reaction since then has been nothing short of phenomenal, with hundreds of services enabling billions of consumers to use passkeys. Our research makes it clear that when offered, people prefer the better security and usability of passkeys over passwords.”
According to the 2024 Bitwarden World Password Day survey, 45% of global respondents revealed that they are adopting passkeys. 66% of respondents also noted that they would be more likely to adopt passkeys in their personal lives following implementation in the workplace. These findings highlight the universal value of more secure passwordless authentication technology for users at home and at work.
Passkeys are a new standard of security with members and backers across the tech sector, including Bitwarden, to advance the use of these new technologies and open standards. Following last year’s launch of passkey management on browser extensions, Bitwarden now brings this feature to mobile devices. Bitwarden has also integrated additional passwordless authentication throughout Password Manager, comprising the following features available to all users for free:
- Using a passkey for 2FA
- Logging into Bitwarden with a passkey (beta)
- Passkey management for browser extensions
- Passkey management in mobile apps
- Passwordless.dev for developers to integrate passkey authentication
Users can download the latest version of Bitwarden Password Manager from the Apple App Store for iOS or join the open beta for Android in the Google Play Store. Once set as the default passkey provider, Bitwarden manages the authentication process, making it easy to use passkeys wherever users log in.