FB pixel

State of passkeys 2025: passkeys move to mainstream

State of passkeys 2025: passkeys move to mainstream
 

More than 1 billion people have activated at least one passkey according to the FIDO Alliance – an astonishing number that highlights the quick evolution of passkeys from a buzzword to a trusted login method. In just two years, consumer awareness of the technology jumped from 39% to 57%. Let’s see how passkeys have moved to mainstream.

Why did big tech bet on a new login technology?

Back in May 2022, the FIDO Alliance, with the collective support of Apple, Google and Microsoft, announced a major initiative to promote passkeys as passwordless authentication standard, ensuring compatibility across devices, operating systems and browsers.

At first glance, this seemed bold, even for these tech giants. Passwords have dominated authentication for decades – why risk time, money and reputation on a new technology?

The answer lies in addressing a growing problem: password management had become the biggest source of user frustration and security vulnerability. Users were juggling countless accounts and password resets, while businesses struggled with data breaches caused by stolen or weak passwords. Social engineering attacks, especially phishing exploited these weaknesses.

Passkeys moved out of early-adopter stage

While Apple, Google and Microsoft enabled passkey support on devices, the technology needed to be adopted by websites and apps. Early adopters emerged in environments with high security requirements:

Banking, payment & crypto

Payment providers (e.g. PayPal, Mastercard, Visa) and cryptocurrency exchanges (e.g. Binance, Coinbase) handle enormous volumes of financial transactions, making them high-value targets for cybercriminals. Strict regulations protect consumers and their accounts, so many payment providers already offer passkeys. Digital-first banks like Revolut, Ubank or Finom followed suit and offer passkeys to reduce fraud, build trust and comply with regulations.

Public sector

Governments worldwide increasingly deliver citizen services online from tax filings to social services. These platforms house large volumes of personal and financial information, which can be protected with passkeys.

Large-scale passkey deployments, such as Australia’s MyGov, demonstrate how public sector services can be streamlined, probably leading to more public agencies to follow suit and reduce their reliance on passwords.

Transport & ride-sharing

Transport and ride-sharing services handle substantial real-time transactions and personal data. By implementing passkeys, companies like Uber and Grab reduce friction for drivers and riders while enhancing security against account takeovers and phishing attacks.

Frequent sign-ins make the transport sector predestined for passkeys. Expect to see more ride-sharing, airline and transport platforms adopt passkeys, especially those that usually require multiple daily logins.

Passkeys move to mainstream

In 2025, passkeys have transformed from an emerging technology into a trusted, user-friendly and widely supported authentication standard.

Full device and browser support

One of the critical factors driving passkeys into mainstream is the full passkey-readiness of devices, operating systems and browsers. Apple (iOS, macOS, Safari), Google (Android, Chrome) and Microsoft (Windows, Edge) have fully integrated passkey support across their platforms:

  • Over 95 percent of all iOS & Android devices are passkey-ready
  • Over 90 percent of all iOS & Android devices have passkey functionality enabled

With Windows soon supporting synced passkeys, all major operating systems ensure users can securely and effortlessly access their credentials across devices.

User experience has been continuously improved

Thanks to the efforts of the FIDO Alliance, key features like the export / import of passkeys with the Credential Exchange Format (CXF) or the updating / deleting of stale passkeys via the WebAuthn Signal API resolve the last user confusions and impracticalities.

This progress signals further momentum in the drive to eliminate passwords entirely, as it makes passkeys intuitive for both technical and non-technical users alike.

Consumers know how to use passkeys

User education has become one of the most crucial factors driving adoption. Fortunately, big consumer brands, like PayPal, Amazon or Google, are leading the way by integrating passkeys. This exposure introduces millions of users to passkeys, allowing them to experience the simplicity firsthand. For most users, it feels as intuitive as unlocking their smartphone.

Once users experience the convenience of a frictionless login, they are more likely to embrace or even expect it elsewhere, creating a ripple effect that accelerates adoption. According to the FIDO consumer report of 2024, currently 84 percent of consumers are familiar with passkeys.

Proven success from early adopter deployments

Early adopters of passkeys have demonstrated strong results, e.g.:

Many more increased login speed, reduced account take-overs and saved costs.

The implementations of these role models provide a compelling blueprint for other businesses. Proven use cases and measurable success metrics allow organizations to make data-driven decisions about integrating passkeys.

The time for passkeys is now

With full device support, a polished UX, growing user familiarity, and a proven track record among early adopter implementations, there’s no reason for businesses to delay adopting passkeys.

The business advantages of passkeys are compelling. Companies that previously relied on SMS-based authentication can save considerably on SMS costs. Beyond that, enterprises adopting passkeys benefit from reduced support overhead (since fewer password resets are needed), lower risk of breaches (thanks to phishing-resistance), and optimized user flows that improve conversion rates. Collectively, these perks make a convincing business case for passkeys.

In 2025, the momentum toward a passwordless future is undeniable. By adopting passkeys now, organizations can not only enhance security but also position themselves as leaders in user-centric innovation.

About the author

Vincent Delitz is Managing Director of Corbado, a passkeys-as-a-service company specializing in large-scale passkey deployments. Vincent writes frequently about passkeys, WebAuthn and passwordless authentication for enterprises. He collaborates with companies to enhance user security, cut SMS OTP costs and simplify login experiences.

Related Posts

Article Topics

 |   |   |   |   |   |   |   | 

Latest Biometrics News

 

Biometrics connecting ID and payments through digital wallets, apps and passkeys

Biometrics are connecting with payment credentials, whether through numberless credit cards and banking apps or passkeys, as the concrete steps…

 

Reach of Musk, DOGE’s federal data access sets off privacy, security alarms

Led by tech billionaire Elon Musk and a shadowy team believed to be under his control, the United States DOGE…

 

Mobile driver’s licenses on the cusp of ‘major paradigm shift’

More entities have integrated the California mobile driver’s license (mDL) credential for identity verification. Although just 15 states have introduced…

 

Gesture-based age estimation tool BorderAge joins Australia age assurance trial

Australia’s age assurance technology trial is testing the new biometric tool that performs age estimation based on hand gestures. The…

 

European AI compliance project CERTAIN launches

The pan-European project to create AI compliance tools CERTAIN has kicked off its work, with the goal of making European…

 

Signaturit Group acquiring Validated ID for undisclosed sum

Spain-based digital identity and electronic signature provider Validated ID is being acquired by Signaturit Group, a European company offering identity…

Comments

Leave a Reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Most Viewed This Week

Featured Company

Biometrics Insight, Opinion

Digital ID In-Depth

Biometrics White Papers

Biometrics Events