- Bitwarden’s passkey management feature launched in November 2023 but it was limited to desktops. Now, the platform has decided to extend it to mobile users as well.
- The app is ready to use for iOS users. For Android users, the beta version is available, with the final version expected to roll out soon.
Bitwarden sits pretty on our list of the best password managers thanks to its fantastic open-source nature, an excellent free version that puts many paid rivals to shame, and robust features such as YubiKey- and FIDO2-enabled 2FA.
The platform has decided to crank up user security by extending its support for passkeys to smartphones as well—for both Android and iOS users.
It’s worth noting that the feature was first introduced in November 2023. However, back then it was limited to desktop clients. It took some time to ready the feature for smartphones—and although some work is still left (I’ll get to that in a moment), it’s finally ready.
Difference between Passkeys and Passwords
In order to fully understand Bitwarden’s new feature, you first need to know the difference between passwords and passkeys. Passwords are simple and user-generated. They usually consist of a string of characters, letters, and/or numbers.
Passkeys, on the other hand, are automatically generated and therefore more secure. Bitwarden’s passkeys combine multi-factor authentication such as biometric locks (facial scans and fingerprints) that help you sign in without having to enter your password at all.
Also, since such information is much less likely to be compromised, passkeys are a better deterrent against phishing attempts than regular passwords.
In fact, for the same reason, various websites from across industries are switching over to passkeys to offer their users a much safer way to log in.
Bitwarden Passkey Management
Passkeys are deeply integrated in Bitwarden’s ecosystem. You can use them for:
- Two-factor authentication
- Logging into Bitwarden
- Developers can use passwordless.dev to integrate passkeys with their apps
The company is also working with passkey providers to facilitate passkey transfer between different authenticators.
The best part about Bitwarden’s passkeys is that they aren’t confined to a single device or OS. For example, if you use the Chrome browser on your laptop but Safari on your iPhone, you can easily access your Bitwarden passwords on both these devices.
Plus, every password, passkey, and other sensitive credentials that you have will be stored and synced in a secure, zero-knowledge vault. With everything under one roof, accessing your passwords to log into different platforms becomes much easier.
How Can You Use This Feature?
If you want to use Bitwarden’s passkeys, here’s what you need to do:
- For iOS users, the app is available on the Apple App Store. Just make sure you’re using iOS 11 or higher—which should be the case in all likelihood.
- For Android users, unfortunately, the app isn’t totally ready at the time of writing. However, you do have the option to sign up for the beta version. The final version is expected to roll out soon, too.
It’s also important to note that for now, this feature is limited to Chromium-based web browsers on Android.
If you need help using the beta version on Android, you can check out Bitwarden’s official help guide for passkeys.
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