WeChat Rolls Out Passkey Support for iOS Users Outside China

WeChat is introducing passkey support for its iOS app, allowing users outside of China to sign in to the country's dominant messaging platform using Face ID, Touch ID, or their device passcode instead of traditional passwords.

wechat logo
Apple introduced passkeys in iOS 16 to provide users with a more secure and convenient authentication method than entering a password. Passkeys offer enhanced security by reducing common risks associated with traditional passwords, such as phishing attacks and credential theft. Since authentication occurs directly on the user's device using biometric data or their device passcode, there are no passwords to compromise or intercept.

To set up a passkey, WeChat users need an iPhone or iPad running iOS 16 or iPadOS 16 or later with iCloud Keychain and two-factor authentication enabled for their Apple Account. Users can enable the feature through WeChat's Account & Security settings, according to a new WeChat support document.

Tencent-owned WeChat joins a growing list of major platforms that have adopted passkey technology, including Google, PayPal, Microsoft, and TikTok. In WeChat, the feature is currently limited to users outside of China, and there's no word on if or when it might expand to the app's domestic Chinese version.

Popular Stories

iOS 18

iOS 18.4 Coming Next Week With These New Features for Your iPhone

Friday February 14, 2025 6:18 am PST by
The first iOS 18.4 beta for iPhones should be just around the corner, and the update is expected to include many new features and changes. Bloomberg's Mark Gurman expects the iOS 18.4 beta to be released by next week. Below, we outline what to expect from iOS 18.4 so far. Apple Intelligence for Siri Siri is expected to get several enhancements powered by Apple Intelligence on iOS...
iPhone 17 Roundup Feature 2

iPhone Design to Change 'Significantly' This Year

Monday February 17, 2025 7:09 am PST by
Apple is set to "significantly change" the iPhone's design language later this year, according to a Weibo leaker. In a new post, the user known "Digital Chat Station" said that the iPhone's design is "starting to change significantly" this year. The "iPhone 17 Air" reportedly features a "horizontal, bar-shaped" design on the rear, likely referring to an elongated camera bump. On the other...
apple launch feb 2025 alt

What to Expect From the 'Apple Launch' Next Week

Thursday February 13, 2025 11:48 am PST by
Apple has yet to announce any new devices this year, but that could change starting next week. Apple CEO Tim Cook today said to "get ready" for a "launch" on Wednesday, February 19. "Get ready to meet the newest member of the family," said Cook, in a social media post. The post includes an #AppleLaunch hashtag, along with a short video featuring an animated Apple logo inside of a circle....
Apple Maps 2024

Apple Maps Might Start Showing Ads

Sunday February 16, 2025 7:22 am PST by
Apple is "exploring" the idea of showing search ads in the Apple Maps app, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. Back in 2022, Gurman said software engineering was "already underway" to display ads in the Apple Maps app, but Apple did not move forward with the idea at the time. Today, he said Apple is "giving this notion more thought" again. This time around, he said Apple has yet to...
Tim Cook Apple Park

10+ Announcements Apple Could Have Rolled Into a February Event

Saturday February 15, 2025 8:00 am PST by
Apple appears to have enough upcoming product announcements to justify a full event this month, yet all signs indicate these reveals will be handled through a series of press releases instead. There are a multitude of rumors from reliable sources about specific announcements in the coming weeks, so here's everything that Apple could have feasibly included in a hypothetical February event: ...
iPhone 17 Pro Render Front Page Tech

iPhone 17 Pro With All-New Camera Bar Design Allegedly Revealed

Thursday February 13, 2025 5:49 pm PST by
Apple's next-generation iPhone 17 Pro will feature three rear cameras arranged in a familiar triangular layout, but the cameras will be housed in an all-new rectangular camera bar with rounded corners, according to YouTube channel Front Page Tech. iPhone 17 Pro camera design render created by Asher for Front Page Tech In a video uploaded today, Front Page Tech host Jon Prosser said the camera ...
m2 pro mac mini

Apple is Now Selling a Refurbished Mac Mini for Just $319 (!)

Saturday February 15, 2025 9:58 am PST by
A few days ago, we reported that Apple's refurbished Mac mini pricing had a problem, and it appears that Apple has taken note. Apple was offering a refurbished Mac mini with the M2 chip, 16GB of RAM, and 256GB of storage for $559, which was $50 more than a refurbished Mac mini with the M4 chip, 16GB of RAM, and 256GB of storage. All other key specifications were equal. That's no longer...
iPhone SE 4 Thumb 1

Apple's Next iPhone SE Launching on Wednesday - Here's What We Know

Friday February 14, 2025 4:04 pm PST by
Apple CEO Tim Cook teased an Apple announcement that's coming on Wednesday, February 19, and it's looking like that mystery announcement will be the next-generation iPhone SE. We've been hearing about the iPhone SE 4 for quite some time now, and we essentially know everything to expect. If you want a sneak peek at what's coming, read on. Naming Apple first introduced the iPhone SE in...

Top Rated Comments

2128506 Avatar
14 weeks ago
Yay, Chinese government can spy on you using Passkeys now. Nice!
Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)
jaytv111 Avatar
14 weeks ago

who introduced them (it wasn’t apple),

Apple introduced passkeys in iOS 16
Seems to be your misinterpretation, iOS is last I checked Apple's so it's correct to say Apple introduced passkeys in iOS. It certainly wasn't Microsoft introducing passkeys in iOS. It didn't say Apple invented passkeys or that they introduced passkeys to a nonspecific product.
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
flyingember Avatar
14 weeks ago

Which part do you think is wrong?
Where you have to store it, who introduced them (it wasn’t apple), that you have to use biometrics to use them, implying you only store them in iCloud Keychain, that they protect from credential theft (depends on how the site uses them) and there’s no password involved

so basically everything

It wasn’t my first info but I went to a multi hour event hosted by the Fido alliance at RSAC and they were sharing future state of the tech at it. I work in identity and access management and am championing passkeys in my role
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Hank001 Avatar
14 weeks ago

To a lot of websites I have two accounts. How does this work with passkeys?
Perhaps your other MR account can answer that question(?)
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Hank001 Avatar
14 weeks ago

Only one account here ?

But on Amazon for example I use a business account and a private account.
Sorry for trying to be funny. It's just...one of those days.

Anyway, I do the same. Multiple accounts. Sometimes just to see how others see my activity on a site.
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
mystery hill Avatar
14 weeks ago

Where you have to store it
The article doesn’t mention other places to store passkeys, but most readers would probably be using iCloud Keychain.


who introduced them (it wasn’t apple)
Apple were the first to use the term “passkeys” for WebAuthn credentials.
https://www.theverge.com/2022/8/5/23293643/apple-passkeys-fido-alliance-passwordless-google-microsoft


that you have to use biometrics to use them
It does say that you can use a passcode.

using Face ID, Touch ID, or their device passcode

that they protect from credential theft (depends on how the site uses them)
Only the public key is sent to the web server. The passkey is generated on the device and backed up to iCloud and synced to other devices using end-to-end encryption. This does offer protection in the event of credential theft compared to passwords.

There isn’t any password involved if using passkeys with iCloud Keychain.
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)