iOS now natively supports physical security keys for Google account authentication

Google has finally added native W3C WebAuthn support for Google Accounts on Apple devices running iOS 13.3 or a later version. What this means is your iPhone now offers native support for physical security keys to authenticate Google account credentials.

Now available for both personal and work Google Accounts, support for physical security keys first arrived with iOS 13.3. But so far, users had to mandatorily use Google’s Smart Lock app and rely on a Bluetooth-enabled alternative. Google has now released native support for the API in iOS, allowing the usage of a wider variety of security keys.

If you have an iPhone, you can now use Bluetooth and NFC-based options such as the Titan Security Key, a Lightning security key such as the YubiKey 5Ci, and a USB-C security key on an Apple device that has a USB Type-C port. Also, you no longer have to download the Google Smart Lock app to use a physical security key on your iOS device.

Source: Google Blog

Nadeem Sarwar

I’ve been writing about consumer technology for over three years now, having worked with names such as NDTV and Beebom in the past. Aside from covering the latest news, I’ve reviewed my fair share of devices ranging from smartphones and laptops to smart home devices. I also have interviewed tech execs and appeared as a host in YouTube videos talking about the latest and greatest gadgets out there.