Use an Android passkey on a Mac: the QR code route and the synced route

Yes, you can sign in on a Mac with a passkey that lives on your Android phone. On the sign-in page, choose the option to use a passkey from another device, scan the QR code that appears with the phone's camera, and confirm with your fingerprint, face, or screen lock. Bluetooth must be on, on both. If you use Chrome on the Mac, there is a second way: passkeys saved in Google Password Manager sync to Chrome on macOS, so the Mac can use them without the phone.

What are the two ways?

How do I sign in on the Mac with the phone's passkey?

Google's page Sign in with a passkey instead of a password gives these steps for a Google Account, under "Sign in on your computer with your phone's passkey":

1. On the Mac's Google sign-in page, enter your username.
2. Click Try another way, then Use your passkey. A QR code appears on the screen.
3. Scan the QR code with the phone's camera or a QR scanner app. Google's tip: "Check to make sure Bluetooth is on."
4. On the phone, tap Use passkey to sign in.
5. Verify with your fingerprint, face unlock, or PIN.

Google adds that the next time you sign in with the same computer and phone, "you'll automatically get a phone notification to verify your identity", so the QR code is a first-time step.

For other websites in Chrome, Google's Manage passkeys in Chrome page describes the same thing in general terms: go to the site's sign-in page, and when prompted to use a passkey, select Use Passkey from Another Device or Use a phone or tablet, scan the QR code, and follow the instructions on the phone. It says: "Your passkeys remain on the other device."

Does it work in Safari?

Apple's guide Sign in to an account on your Mac with a passkey describes the matching step in Safari: click Other Options, click Passkey from nearby device, then click the QR code. Apple writes those steps for an iPhone or iPad and does not mention Android. The QR code method is the industry standard described below, so it is worth trying with your phone, but if Safari does not cooperate, do that sign-in in Chrome.

Why does it need Bluetooth?

To prove the phone is next to the computer. The FIDO Alliance, the industry group behind passkeys, says cross-device sign-in uses "Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) to verify physical proximity". The point of the check is that a QR code alone is not enough: the phone that approves the sign-in has to be near the computer that asked.

Google's requirement is simply that Bluetooth is turned on: "To use a passkey on a phone to sign in to another computer, turn on Bluetooth." Apple's page says the same for its side: "Bluetooth must also be turned on for your Mac." Neither page asks you to pair the phone with the Mac in Bluetooth settings.

How do I make the passkeys available on the Mac itself?

If the Mac is yours, syncing saves the scan. Google's Chrome page says "You can save your passkeys in Google Password Manager to use them across your devices, as long as you're signed in with the same Google Account on Chrome or Android devices", and lists Mac among the computers that can store them.

1. On the Mac, open Chrome and sign in with the Google Account your phone uses.
2. Visit a site where you have a passkey saved in Google Password Manager and start to sign in.
3. When Chrome asks, confirm with your Google Password Manager PIN, or with the phone's lock screen PIN, pattern, or password. Google says those are what unlock a passkey you have already created.

When you create a new passkey in Chrome on the Mac, you get a choice of where it lives, and the choice matters for an Android owner.

Pick Google Password Manager if you want the same passkey on the phone. More on that in Google Password Manager on a Mac.

What do I need?

Google's requirements list: a Mac on macOS Ventura or later; a phone on Android 9 or later with a screen lock turned on; Chrome 109, Safari 16, Edge 109, or Firefox 122 or later; and Bluetooth on for the QR code route. Google also warns: "Only create passkeys on devices you personally own and use", because anyone who can unlock the device can use the passkey.

It is not working. What should I check?

Where does The Relay fit?

It does not handle passkeys, and it does not need to. This is one of the few things Android and macOS already do well together.

A passkey removes the code from a login. Plenty of banks and shops still text one, and for those The Relay's login code feature shows the incoming text on the Mac and copies the code to the Mac's clipboard so you can paste it. The honest order of preference: use a passkey wherever a site offers one, and keep a tool for texted codes for the sites that do not. That side is covered in SMS verification codes from Android on a Mac.

Questions people ask

Does the phone need to be on the same Wi-Fi as the Mac?

Google's steps mention Bluetooth, not Wi-Fi, and the FIDO Alliance describes Bluetooth as the proximity check. Neither page says the two devices must share a Wi-Fi network.

Can my Android phone use a passkey saved in Apple Passwords?

No. Apple says passkeys in iCloud Keychain are available on devices signed in to the same Apple Account. In Chrome on the Mac, save new passkeys to Google Password Manager if you want them on the phone.

Does this work on a Samsung Galaxy as well as a Pixel?

Google's requirement is Android 9 or later, not a brand. On any phone, check which password manager saved the passkey. Google's page notes that a passkey can sit in a third-party credential manager, and one saved outside Google Password Manager will not sync to Chrome on the Mac. The QR code route still works for it.