How do I set up and manage a passkey?
Find out how setting up a passkey can help keep your Telstra account safe from phishing attacks and does away with the need to remember passwords.
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What's a passkey?
Passkeys are a simple and secure way to set and forget the many passwords you often need to remember.
Each website has its own unique passkey stored on your device, protected by your fingerprint, face or device PIN or password. Passkeys sync across devices using Apple iCloud or Google Account and work on many platforms.
What are the benefits?
Passkeys are a secure and convenient alternative to passwords and two-step verification. Your device serves as the main authentication factor, safeguarded by fingerprint, face, or PIN/password.
Passkeys prevent impersonation and protect against foreign crime organisations. They also protect against data breaches by never sharing your private key with other websites. Passkeys eliminate the need for memorisation, are always unique, and offer robust account protection.
It's important to protect because malicious access to your Telstra account could allow someone to take ownership of your mobile number, steal your identity and make unauthorised device purchases. If someone gains control of your mobile number, they can impersonate you and potentially access your bank account.
Set-up
You can create passkeys on your phone, tablet, laptop or computer if your device has screen lock, fingerprint or facial recognition set up. You should sign in to your device and make sure Apple iCloud or Google Password Manager is on.
You can set up a passkey on most devices: smartphones, tablets, laptops and desktop computers.
You must have a screen lock, fingerprint or face biometric enabled on your device, and have signed in and enabled your Apple iCloud or Google Password Manager.
You can add a passkey in My Telstra:
- Sign in to My Telstra
- Go to Profile
- Scroll to Advanced security settings and select Sign up for passkey
- Add your passkey.
- Apple devices running iOS 16+
- Apple MacOS devices running macOS 13+
- Windows devices running Windows 11
- Android devices running Android 9+
- Hardware security keys that support FIDO2 and user verification.
To sign in on a different device, use the passkey saved on your phone. First, type in your username, select Use a different phone or tablet, then scan the QR code using your phone camera. If you trust the device, make a passkey for simpler sign-ins later. Or, you can use your username, password, and two-step verification to sign in.
No. Your device keeps your fingerprint or face ID and PIN saved and doesn't share with Telstra. When using biometrics to unlock your passkey, your device verifies that it belongs to you. Once authenticated, the passkey is confirmed with Telstra to ensure the correct user has access.
No. With passkeys, you don't have to remember anything. Your device does all the work. When you want to sign in, your device will provide the passkey to authenticate your identity.
It's important to use a strong PIN or screen lock, keep your device updated with the latest software and only sign in to websites on a device that you personally own.
Manage
Yes. Passkeys created are automatically synced across your devices signed in to the same iCloud or Google account.
You can also create a passkey for any device you trust that is not synced to your iCloud or Google account.
No, each passkey is unique to one device and account. This means you can't use the same passkey for different accounts. This is one of the reasons passkeys are safer than passwords, because they are unique and bound specifically to one website and one account.
No. As more people start using passkey though, we'll offer the choice to turn off signing in with a password.
If you want to stop using your passkey, sign in to My Telstra, go to Advanced Security settings and follow the prompts to delete your passkey. Once a passkey is deleted, you'll need to sign in using your username and password and go through the two-step verification steps.
If you delete your passkey through Advanced security settings in My Telstra, you need to also remove it from your device. Check your device manufacturer's device guides for help.
Troubleshooting
If you lose your device, your account is still secure. Criminals would have to figure out your device's PIN/password to sign in.
You can remove passkeys from My Telstra in Advanced security settings.
If you lose your device, make sure you set your device to lost mode or do a remote wipe to keep your personal information safe.
If you can't log in, complete an account recovery process by providing your name, date of birth, and completing two-step verification.
If you've lost access to your passkey, you can recover your account in My Telstra:
- Sign in to My Telstra
- Go to Profile
- Scroll to Advanced security settings and select Recover account and follow the prompts.
Yes, if you think someone may have your passkey, you should change it immediately. Sign in to My Telstra, go to Advanced security settings and delete your passkey.
Yes, your device's PIN or password will still work.
When you sign-in to your iCloud or Google account on your new device, the passkey comes with it. You should sign out and remove the passkey from your old device's passkey management screens. Think about erasing all data from the old device, following the how-to erase data instructions in your device manufacturer's help and support pages.
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