WWPass Key now supports biometric login, including Face ID on iPhone X, as a replacement for the PIN step on WWPass-enabled websites that require extra verification. Once enabled, scanning the QR code on a supported site prompts a fingerprint or face scan instead of a typed PIN.

Your Phone Already Replaced Everything Else

For many of us, our phones have already consolidated the daily items we once needed separately: a watch, a personal organizer, a GPS, a music player, even our keys. Phones have become the gateway to nearly everything, and biometric technology lets us secure that gateway more effectively than ever.

A caveat worth stating clearly: biometrics work best as a second factor, not as the only thing standing between an attacker and your phone itself. The technology is genuinely useful once your phone is already unlocked with a pattern or PIN and you're using it to authenticate into other sites and services. That's exactly where WWPass Key's biometric support comes in.

How It Works

With WWPass Key, you can now use your phone's built-in biometrics to secure access to your favorite WWPass-enabled websites. Not every site requires an additional verification factor like a PIN, but on the ones that do, you now have the option to replace that PIN with biometrics instead. Turning it on takes a moment, under the options menu in the app.

Once enabled, you'll be prompted to use your fingerprint after scanning the QR code on a WWPass-enabled site that would normally ask for a PIN. If you have an iPhone X, you can use Face ID instead.

Because biometrics still aren't perfect, and because you still need to remember your PIN as a fallback, you'll be prompted to enter your PIN the first time you log in after a period of not using WWPass Key. Once you've entered it, biometric login becomes the default again.

How Businesses Benefit

Enterprises no longer need costly fingerprint or iris scanners installed at every workstation to offer biometric access to their systems. By moving to a WWPass login, a business can use the biometric hardware customers and employees already carry in their pockets, no dedicated hardware rollout required.

With WWPass Key, users can safely rely on fingerprints or facial recognition as part of authentication. The feature is available across every industry WWPass serves, included free in the app for all WWPass users. It's the same principle covered in FIDO2 Keys vs Smart Cards vs WWPass Key: the right hardware is often already in someone's hand, the login method just needs to use it properly.

FAQ

Does WWPass Key support Face ID?
Yes, on iPhone X and other devices with Face ID support. The app also supports fingerprint-based biometrics on devices without facial recognition.

Does using biometrics mean I never need my PIN again?
Not quite. You'll still be prompted for your PIN the first time you log in after a period of inactivity with the app. After that, biometric login becomes the default again until the next inactivity check.

Should I use biometrics to unlock my phone itself, or just to log in to websites?
WWPass's recommendation is to use a PIN or pattern to unlock the phone itself, then use biometrics as the verification step for logging in to WWPass-enabled sites and services once the phone is already unlocked. That keeps biometrics working as a second factor rather than the only thing protecting the device.

Do businesses need special hardware to offer biometric login to customers?
No. Because WWPass Key uses the biometric sensors already built into users' phones, businesses can offer biometric-backed authentication without installing fingerprint or iris scanners at every workstation or kiosk.

Getting Started

Ready to try it? Get the WWPass Key app and enable biometrics under the options menu to start securing your favorite WWPass-enabled sites with a fingerprint or Face ID instead of a PIN.