What are passkeys and should creators use them?
By Bridget · Updated May 2026 · Reviewed by Locket Security Team
★ the short answer
A passkey is a passwordless login tied to your device (phone, laptop, or security key) and unlocked with your face, fingerprint, or PIN. Because there's no password to phish or reuse, passkeys resist the most common attacks. Creators should turn them on wherever offered — Google, Apple, and major platforms now support them.
How do passkeys work?
A passkey creates a cryptographic key pair: a private key stays locked on your device and a public key sits with the service. You log in by unlocking the device with your face, fingerprint, or PIN — nothing secret is typed or transmitted. There's no password to steal, guess, reuse, or phish.
Why are passkeys safer than passwords plus 2FA?
Passkeys are phishing-resistant by design — they only work on the real site they were created for, so a fake login page can't capture anything usable. They also can't be leaked in a database breach. For high-value creator accounts, that closes the gaps that passwords and even SMS 2FA leave open.
Where should I start using passkeys?
Begin with your most critical accounts that support them: your Google or Apple account, then platforms like Instagram and your password manager. You can keep a password as a backup during the transition. Syncing passkeys through your password manager or platform account lets you use them across all your devices.
Frequently asked
- If your passkeys sync through your Google, Apple, or password-manager account, they're available on your other signed-in devices. Keep a backup sign-in method and recovery options set up so a lost device never locks you out.
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