Overview
You can access your smart wallet using a passkey. Passkeys offer a secure and user-friendly alternative to traditional passwords and recovery phrases. They are cryptographic-based keys that provide a secure way to access digital platforms, such as cryptocurrency wallets.
Passkeys create a unique digital lock and key for your account using public-key cryptography. Your device or cloud provider holds the key and when you log in, your device or cloud provider proves you have the right key without actually sharing it.
Using biometric authentication (such as your fingerprint or face recognition) or a simple PIN, you can log into your Coinbase wallet quickly and securely with passkeys. This approach reduces your risk against hacks, phishing attacks, and unauthorized access attempts.
For more technical information on passkeys, visit Passwordless login with passkeys.
Manage passkeys
Passkey management is done via your device or passkey provider settings. Only delete a passkey you are positive that you are not using and not do any bulk clean ups.
On iOS
Open your device settings.
Navigate to Passwords.
Search for coinbase.com, select the Smart Wallet passkey named with the appropriate date the passkey was created.
You can view, rename, or delete your passkey here.
For Android devices (may vary slightly by version/manufacturer)
Open device settings.
Go to Passwords and accounts.
Select Google.
Select Google Password Manager.
Select keys.coinbase.com.
You can view, rename, or delete your passkey here.
Best practices for passkey management
Never delete your passkey for your wallet, or you will lose access to your funds.
Use a cloud-based passkey manager like iCloud, Google Password Manager, or Microsoft Cloud, or 1Password to ensure you have cross-device accessibility to your wallet and passkey.
Avoid bulk clean ups of passwords and passkeys.
When using Google Chrome Profile as a passkey, do not check Passwords and Passkeys in the Advanced tab when you clear browser data in your history.
When using a hardware device like a yubikey, do not clear or reset your keys or you will lose access to your wallet.
Google Chrome Profile, Brave profiles, and other browser based passkeys are typically device specific. We recommend using a cloud-based passkey provider whenever possible.
FAQs
Yes, if you utilize iCloud Keychain Manager or Google Password Manager, you can use the same passkey on any device that also has access to your iCloud or Google accounts. You can also use a hardware option like a Yubikey to enable cross-device support.
Certain passkey providers, such as Chrome Profile are device specific and will not work across platforms.
We recommend using cloud-based passkeys for seamless access to your smart wallet. Cloud-based passkeys provide a streamlined and convenient way to securely store and sync access to your wallet across devices. You also maintain the same high level of security expected from your cloud service. Please note that we recommend you avoid using Windows Hello and the Chrome macOS version of Google Password Manager as they cannot be synced across devices.
If you choose to use a non-cloud alternative such as QR code authentication, please first create your passkeys on your mobile device and then use the QR code to sign in on your desktop. Please note that the QR code is device locked in case of device loss.
Recommended passkey setups
If you only use iOS and macOS devices:
We recommend you use:
iCloud Keychain
1Password as a cloud alternative
QR code authentication as a non-cloud alternative
Please make sure that your devices have access to your iCloud account.
If you only use Android and Chrome devices:
We recommend you use:
Google Password Manager
1Password as a cloud alternative
QR code authentication as a non-cloud alternative
Please make sure that your devices have access to your Google accounts.
This will not work if you are using Microsoft Edge on your Windows device. We recommend using Chrome on your Windows device.
If you use a mix of iOS, macOS, Android, and Windows devices:
We recommend you use:
1Password
QR code authentication as a non-cloud alternative
While 1Password currently cannot create or use passkeys on Android, you can enable this by the following:
Open Chrome and type in chrome://flags into the address bar.
In the open flags page, tap the search box, then search for passkeys.
Select Default under the Android Credential Management for passkeys flag.
Select "Enabled for Google Password Manager and 3rd party passkeys".
Select the Relaunch button that appears at the bottom of your browser.
Other setups
If you use a mix of iOS, macOS, and Windows devices
We recommend you use:
1Password
QR code authentication as a non-cloud alternative.
If you use a mix of Android and Windows Chrome devices
We recommend you use:
Google Password Manager
1Password as a cloud alternative
QR code authentication as a non-cloud alternative
If you do not want to use a cloud provider
We recommend you use:
QR code authentication
Yubikey as a non-cloud alternative
If you prefer a hardware solution
We recommend you use:
A Yubikey (USB)
Please consider using a cloud-based passkey for flexibility and convenience. Cloud-based passkeys offer easy access from multiple devices without the risk of losing a physical device such as a Yubikey.
If you do not know which of these cases applies to you:
We recommend you use:
QR code authentication
1Password as a cloud alternative
We recommend using iCloud Keychain, Google Password manager, Microsoft Cloud, or a password manager like 1Password to set up your passkeys for the best cross-device compatibility.
You can also use a hardware device like a yubikey if you have one for cross-device accessibility.
Browser-based profiles like your Chrome or Brave profile are only accessible on the specific device they are created on.
What if my iCloud keychain is not enabled?
You can use these instructions from Apple to enable your iCloud keychain.
Where can I get more information on Google Password Manager?
Please reference the Manage passwords article from Google for more information about the Google Password Manager.
If you’re creating a new wallet and already have a Coinbase.com passkey, 1Password may read keys.coinbase.com and coinbase.com passkeys as identical and prompt you to Update Existing coinbase.com passkey. Select New Item and do not update the existing passkey.
If you use 1Password for your passkey on desktop web, and are not signed into your 1Password extension, by default you may receive a QR Code to sign via mobile phone. Sign into your 1Password extension in order to sign using your passkey in 1Password.
Passkeys can be shared with trusted contacts via iCloud. They cannot currently be exported via Android, 1Password, Chrome profiles, or hardware devices.
Users can share their passkey with trusted contacts for iCloud based passkeys by following these steps:
iCloud options
iPhone: Share passwords or passkeys with people you trust on iPhone
Mac: Share passwords or passkeys with people you trust on Mac
Passkeys are still gated by biometrics, so a third-party that has shared the passkey will not be able to use them unless the correct biometric information is present on the destination device.
When you update your passkey, that change is initially applied to the network which has the highest balance. When you transact on a new network, your new passkey update needs to be applied to the network.
In order to transact on the new network, you will need to apply the change by signing a transaction onchain. This transaction will require a network fee to execute. Once you have executed this transaction, you are free to use your new passkey to sign on the new chain.
Only use your recovery key at keys.coinbase.com. Using your recovery key on any third party sites will expose you to compromise of funds, and you will not be able to recover your account.