Learn how to create a PlayStation passkey, which allows you to log in to your Sony PlayStation Network account with Face ID and Touch ID instead of the password.
Because there’s no password to steal or SMS codes to intercept, a passkey makes your PlayStation account much less vulnerable to phishing attacks.
On Apple devices, passkeys are stored in the trusted Secure Enclave subsystem. You can also save passkeys on Android or a hardware security key.
To use passkeys, your iPhone, iPad or Mac must use at least iOS 16, iPadOS 16 or macOS 13, have iCloud Keychain set up and two-factor authentication enabled.
How to set up a passkey for your PlayStation account
To create a passkey for your PlayStation account, log in to Sony’s Account Management and turn on “Sign in with Passkey” in the Security section.
- Using your credentials, sign into Account Management for your Sony Account or PlayStation Network account at playstation.com/acct/management.
- Select Security in the sidebar (if asked, click Continue).
- Hit Edit in the Sign In with Passkey section.
- Click Create a Passkey to continue.
- When prompted, scan your face/finger or provide your device passcode.
- When a confirmation message pops up, click OK to continue.
You’ll be logged out for security reasons and will receive a confirmation email. By default, your PlayStation passkey is securely saved in iCloud Keychain.
You’ll be logged out for security reasons and will receive a confirmation email. By default, your PlayStation passkey is securely saved in iCloud Keychain.To reveal other choices, click Other Options in the Touch ID prompt.
For example, you can save a passkey to another device with a camera. For ultimate security, you can save your passkey to a physical security key, such as YubiKey.
What to know before creating a PlayStation passkey:
- Passkeys sync via iCloud Keychain across any iPhones, iPads, Macs and Apple TVs signed into the same account. This lets you sign into your PlayStation account using a passkey from another device if you lose your iPhone.
- Creating a PlayStation passkey deactivates your account password.
- Unlike other services that support passkeys as an additional factor, Sony requires that two-factor authentication be disabled before creating a passkey.
- Not all parts of the sprawling Sony empire apparently got the memo. For example, we couldn’t log in in at id.sonyentertainmentnetwork.com/signin with a passkey at press time. “If you’ve activated Sign In with Passkey, you’ll need to deactivate it, and then create a password to sign in,” an error message explained.
How to use a passkey to sign into your PlayStation account
Navigate to the sign-in screen on your PlayStation 4 or 5 console (older consoles can only use the password). You can also do so in the official PlayStation app or on the web. Simply select the email field, authenticate with Face ID or Touch ID and…
And that’s it, you’re in!
You don’t need to enter your email address, but if you do and there’s a passkey associated with it, click the Sign in With Passkey option to switch to passkey login.
Should you encounter issues while trying to use your passkey, choose the link Can’t Sign In with Passkey. You’ll be presented with two options. The first lets you log in by scanning the QR code with your iPhone’s camera, while the second requires you to enter the verification code sent to your email.
How to manage your PlayStation passkeys
To create more passkeys, hit Manage Passkeys under Sign In with Passkey and click either Create on This Device or Create on Another Device.
Here, you can also revoke an existing passkey by clicking Remove next to it. A revoked passkey stops working immediately but remains dormant on your device. You can manually remove it by venturing into Settings > Password.
After you disable the passkey login option altogether, the page will prompt you to create a password for your PlayStation account. If you’re going to downgrade to the email/password login, it may be a good idea to set up two-factor authentication.
For further information, visit Sony’s Passkey landing page.
Passkeys adoption by Microsoft, PayPal, eBay and others
Apple notes in a support document that passkeys “are an industry-wide security standard” and that “many websites and apps are quickly adding passkey support.”
Companies that accept passkeys or are still rolling out passkey support include PayPal, Twitter, Google, Microsoft, Best Buy, eBay and others. Passkeys are supported on the latest versions of Safari, Chrome and Edge browsers.