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Your Facebook account just got even more secure – and it could make phishing a thing of the past

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Facebook is finally getting full passkey support

Facebook social media app logo on log-in, sign-up registration page
(Image credit: Chinnapong / Shutterstock)
  • Facebook will soon roll out passkeys for Facebook on mobile devices
  • Passkeys offer greater security and easier login than passwords
  • Passkeys for Messenger will also soon be available

Meta has introduced passkey support for Facebook on mobile devices which will significantly decrease the chance of someone hacking into your account.

Rather than using a clumsy and easily guessed password to log in, you can now use a fingerprint, face or PIN to verify that you are logging in to your account.

Better still, passkeys are often faster to use than passwords, meaning your whole Facebook experience should be even easier.

Facebook gets passkeys

Passkeys for Facebook on iOS and Android mobile devices “will soon be available”, Meta said, with passkeys for Messenger also due to be released in the “coming months.”

Passkeys are a much more resilient alternative to passwords and one-time-codes as they cannot be stolen and are much less susceptible to malicious sites looking to steal your login details, such as typo-squatting domains. They can also be a good alternative to using a password manager that requires constant back-and-forth between apps in order to enter your password.

Your passkey is stored locally on your device, meaning Meta doesn’t have access to it. One unfortunate downside of passkeys is that if you lose your mobile device that stores your passkey, it can be a bit of a hassle getting back into your account and setting up a new passkey.

Meta also announced passkeys will also be used to verify payments through Meta Pay, and will soon also be used to protect your encrypted message backups once Passkeys for Messenger arrive.

Facebook passkey setup process

(Image credit: Facebook)

To set up a passkey, head to the Settings menu on the Facebook app, and then click on Accounts Center → Password and security → Passkey. If passkeys are available, Facebook may even prompt you to set one up the next time you log in.

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Benedict Collins
Benedict Collins
Senior Writer, Security

Benedict has been writing about security issues for over 7 years, first focusing on geopolitics and international relations while at the University of Buckingham. During this time he studied BA Politics with Journalism, for which he received a second-class honours (upper division), then continuing his studies at a postgraduate level, achieving a distinction in MA Security, Intelligence and Diplomacy. Upon joining TechRadar Pro as a Staff Writer, Benedict transitioned his focus towards cybersecurity, exploring state-sponsored threat actors, malware, social engineering, and national security. Benedict is also an expert on B2B security products, including firewalls, antivirus, endpoint security, and password management.

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