Apple joined FIDO (Fast Identity Online), several years after competitors like Microsoft, Samsung, Intel, and Google did.
FIDO aims to develop and implement higher security standards for users and more specifically through authentication technologies such as biometric sensors that replace passwords.
FIDO was formed in July 2012 with a small group of companies, including PayPal and Lenovo. Its open source specification used authentication systems ranging from fingerprint readers and iris scanners, as well as hardware security keys.
Microsoft initiated the partnership in December 2013, while Samsung did so in April 2014, at the same time it announced the implementation of the FIDO specification in the Galaxy S5.
In January 2020, Google updated its Smart Lock to allow software installed on the iPhone to replace hardware previously required to produce a two-factor authentication key.
These access keys were provided with an agreement in March 2019 between the World Wide Web Consortium and the FIDO Alliance to certify that WebAuthn was the official standard.
Safari, among other browsers, uses WebAuthn as its authentication system.
