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January 15, 2025
Question

Passkey Beta with security key / yubikeys and NFC on iphone doesn't work

  • January 15, 2025
  • 3 replies
  • 443 views

I'm participating in the public beta for 1Pw with Passkeys using two Yubikeys 5C NFC for login.

I have set up several devices where login after biometrical unlock-expiration works flawlessly, although none of them use NFC.

When selecting Login with Passkey on my Iphone 13, after Face Id unlock has expired, I get presented with the options "Passkey from another device (scanning QR-Code)" and "Security Key" (which I want to use) as well as "other accounts" (trying to get login from 1PW app which is obviously locked ...).

Selecting "Security Key" and holding my key against the NFC-reader, the key is obviously recognized by the device as a notification asks me whether I want to open the "NFC-Tag from 'Firefox'" in Firefox, but the 1PW auth-process isn't affected / doesn't seem to recognize the key, nothing happens here.

When I uninstall Firefox, the notification now offers using the NFC-Tag in Safari...

I suspect it could be related to the key's OTP-feature.


1Password Version: Not Provided
Extension Version: Not Provided
OS Version: iOS 18.1.1
Browser: Not Provided

3 replies

1P_Dave
1Password Employee
January 20, 2025

Hello @another1pwuser! 👋

Thank you for helping us to test the passkey unlock feature through our public beta! I'm sorry that a passkey on your security key isn't working. I noticed that you were using an older version of iOS, can you update to 18.2.1 and then try to use the passkey again:

If you still see the same issue then can you tell me if you're able to use your security key, via NFC, with other apps on your iPhone? Or does the same issue occur?

-Dave

January 21, 2025

Hi @1P_Dave,
thanks for your reply.

I have updated to iOS 18.2 (22c152) which is the latest version afaik, but it didn't solve the issue.

I tested using the yubikey as passkey for another app and it led to the same problem - so this seems to be a YK-Iphone-issue, not a 1PW-problem...

Edit:
I had tested using my passkeys for my google account in the google apps on my iphone. That didn't work.

I have now also tested the page "webauthn.io". The pop-up looks exactly the same but when I move my YK close to the NFC-reader, it immediately recognizes it and prompts me to enter the key's password - this is different to 1PW and Google and seems like the way it should work.

January 21, 2025

Update:
found this thread, it looks identical to the problem I'm experiencing and would then be an iOS-problem:

https://discussions.apple.com/thread/255798251