Table of Contents
Passkeys
A passkey signs you in with whatever already unlocks your device: a fingerprint reader, face recognition, or the PIN or pattern on your screen lock. There is nothing to remember and nothing to type.
The part of the passkey that proves who you are never leaves your device. TetherX only ever holds the half that can check a signature, so there is nothing on our side for anybody to steal and reuse. A passkey also cannot be given away by mistake: it only works on the address it was created for, so a convincing copy of the sign-in page cannot collect it.
What a Passkey Replaces
A passkey replaces your password. It does not replace your verification code.
If your account uses an authenticator app, you will still be asked for the code after your passkey is accepted. That is deliberate. Your account settings say you have chosen an authenticator app as your second step, and adding a passkey does not undo that choice on your behalf. See Two-Factor Authentication.
Your password still works. Adding a passkey does not remove it, and you can sign in either way.
Adding a Passkey
- Open your own account from the account menu.
- Find Passkeys in the Security and Authentication section.
- Give it a name you will recognise later, such as "Work laptop" or "Control room PC". This is how you tell one device from another when you come to remove one.
- Select Add a passkey and confirm on your device when it asks.
The passkey is saved by your device or your password manager, not by TetherX. On an iPhone or a Mac it goes into iCloud Keychain and follows you to your other Apple devices. On Android it goes into Google Password Manager. On Windows it goes into Windows Hello, and stays on that computer unless your password manager syncs it.
You can add as many as you like, one for each device you use.
Signing In
Open the sign-in page and select the email box. Your passkey is offered there, in the same list your browser uses to fill in saved passwords. Choose it and confirm on your device.
There is also a Sign in with a passkey button below the sign-in form, which does the same thing.
Tip: You do not type your email address first. Your device already knows which account the passkey belongs to.
One Passkey Per Address
A passkey works on the web address you created it on, and only that one. If you also sign in on a second address, add a passkey there as well. The list on your account shows which address each one belongs to.
Where Passkeys Work
| Where | Passkeys |
|---|---|
| Chrome, Edge, Safari and Firefox on a computer | Yes |
| Safari and Chrome on iPhone, iPad and Android | Yes |
| The TetherX iOS app | Yes |
| The TetherX Android app | Not yet. Sign in with your password, or with Google |
Where passkeys are not available, the options simply do not appear. See Native Apps.
Removing a Passkey
Open your account, find the passkey in the list and select Remove. Do this when you no longer have the device, or when you are handing it on to somebody else.
Removing a passkey does not affect your password, your verification code or your other passkeys.
Warning: If you lose a device and cannot reach your account to remove its passkey, ask an administrator or integrator on your timeline to reset your password. That does not remove the passkey by itself, so remove it as soon as you are back in.
Common Questions
I have a passkey, so why am I still being asked for a code? Your account uses an authenticator app. The passkey replaced your password, not the code. See Two-Factor Authentication.
My passkey is not offered on the sign-in page. Check the address you are on. A passkey works only on the address it was created for. If you created it on a different one, add a passkey here as well.
Can somebody else use my passkey if they pick up my phone? Only if they can also pass your fingerprint, your face or your screen lock. That is what your device asks for before it will use the passkey at all.
Does a passkey lock me out if I lose the device? No. Your password still works, and so does any other passkey you have added.
Related
- Signing In - Every way into TetherX: password, passkey, Google and Microsoft.
- Two-Factor Authentication - The verification code a passkey does not replace.
- Native Apps - Where passkeys work in the iPhone and Android apps.
- Account Lockout - What happens after repeated wrong passwords or codes.
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