Login without a password: You can now use passkeys on PS5 and PS4 – here’s how!

You no longer have to remember your PSN password, because Sony is introducing Passkey on PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5

You will no longer have to enter your 16-character password when you sign in to your PlayStation account.

Sony has announced on the X-Account AskPlaystation that you can use Passkey for your Playstation account from today (February 22, 2024).

Login to your PlayStation account hassle-free with passkeys arriving later today! Keep an eye out for updates. pic.twitter.com/BAmh64EwHR

– Ask PlayStation (@AskPlayStation) February 21, 2024

What are passkeys? This is a standard for logging in to websites and apps. Passkey is intended to replace passwords and was developed by the FIDO-Alliance and is supported by companies such as Microsoft, Apple, Google, Amazon and now also Sony (PlayStation).

You log in with a cryptographic key that you determine yourself. This can be technologies such as Face ID, Touch ID or device passwords on an iPhone.

Why passkeys? Using passkeys is considered more secure than using passwords because they cannot be guessed, stolen or passed on to third parties.

In addition, they are more practical as you can log in quickly and easily without having to remember passwords for different platforms.

How to use passkeys on your PS4 and PS5

To use passkeys on your PlayStation account, proceed as follows:

1. Go to the PlayStation account management in your browser and log in
2. Click on “Security “
3. Press “Log in with passkey “ “Edit “
4. Press “Create Passkey “
5. Select your passkey and follow the instructions
6. Log in to your email account and confirm the passkey activation 
7. Log in with Passkey from now on

What do you need to consider? Sony itself gives a few hints that you should pay attention to when using passkeys:

• If you are using Android, make sure that your Google account is compatible with Google Play services
• Recommended passkey providers are: iCloud Keychain, Google Password Manager, 1Password and Dashlane
• Some hardware security keys can allegedly cause problems. In this case, it is recommended to use synchronized passkeys on smartphones
• You should use the standard camera app to log in with a passkey by default, but on some Android devices you may need to use a QR code scanner app

How do passkeyswork? Passkeys are based on a process called public key cryptography. When you log in to a website or app, a unique passkey is generated that is only valid for that website or app. The passkey is then encrypted with your fingerprint or face and stored on your device.