Why Passkeys aren’t a panacea

1. Passkeys are password-less credentials built on Webauthn. The OS companies — Apple, Google and Microsoft — are responsible for their implementation

2. For most users, Passkeys are usually stored in the OS vendors secure cloud, eg iCloud, to sync across devices. 

3. This means that you need to have devices from the same ecosystem — a Mac and an iPhone — for sync to work

4. Naturally, there are plenty of people with a different mobile device vs. computer.

5. Further, OS vendors have been inconsistent with the various features of Passkeys they implement, eg Apple did largeBlob and Google did PRF.

6. Would expect this to take a few more years at a minimum before all the consumer UX kinks are rolled out.

Great breakdown! Passkeys are a step forward, but the ecosystem lock-in and inconsistent implementations definitely limit their potential right now. Cross-platform usability is key for mass adoption—curious to see how (or if) OS vendors address this in the coming years.