Passkeys: Sign In to Your Journal With Face ID or a FingerprintIn beta

Your journal is the most private thing you write. A passkey opens it with your face or your fingerprint, and there is no password for anyone to guess, reuse or phish.

In beta: open to a small group of accounts first.

Nothing to type

No email, no password and no code. Your device asks for your face or fingerprint, and you are in.

Both factors at once

A passkey is something you have, your device, and something you are or know, your face, fingerprint or passcode. It counts as your password and your two-factor code together.

Nothing to steal

It only works on Pensio, so a fake sign-in page cannot use it, and Pensio keeps only a public key that opens nothing on its own.

Yours to take back

Every passkey is listed in Settings with Remove beside it, adding one emails you, and signing out your other devices removes them all.

Passkeys

Sign in with Face ID, Touch ID or your fingerprint. Nothing to type, nothing to steal

A passkey signs you in with Face ID, Touch ID, your fingerprint or your device’s screen lock instead of your password. There is nothing to type, nothing to remember and nothing anyone can trick you into giving away, and it counts as your password and your two-factor code together.

An example

Opening the app in the morning

Your session has ended, so the app opens on the sign-in page.

Typed nothing
Asked your face or fingerprint, on your device

Your phone asks for your face straight away. Look at it, and you are in your journal, without an email, a password or a code.

What you can do

Add one in Settings: Settings, then Account, then Passkeys, then Add a passkey. Your device asks for your face or fingerprint and keeps the passkey with your saved passwords. Right after you sign in it adds one straight away; later, it first asks you to confirm it is you.
Say yes when it is offered: Right after you sign in with your password, Google or Apple, Pensio offers to set one up. Not now keeps it away for the rest of the visit, and it stops asking once you have one.
Sign in without typing: In the apps, your phone asks for your face or fingerprint as soon as the sign-in page opens, but not right after you sign out on purpose. In a browser, choose your passkey from the email field or press Sign in with a passkey.
See every passkey, and remove any of them: Settings, then Account, then Passkeys, lists each one by the device it was made on, when it was added and when it was last used, with Remove beside it.
Hear about it when one is added: Adding a passkey sends you an email and writes a line in the security log. If it was not you, the email says what to do.

How It Works

1

Sign in once as you do today

With your password, Google or Apple. Right after, Pensio offers to set up a passkey.

2

Add a passkey

Say yes to the offer, or go to Settings, then Account, then Passkeys. Your device asks for your face or fingerprint and keeps the passkey with your saved passwords.

3

Next time, just look or touch

In the apps, your phone asks as soon as the sign-in page opens. In a browser, choose the passkey from the email field or press Sign in with a passkey.

Use Cases

A passkey for the journal only you should open.

Writing on your phone every evening

Open the app and look at it. Your journal is there without typing a password on a small keyboard.

On a computer that is not yours

Choose to use a phone, scan the code, and sign in with the passkey on your phone. Nothing is saved on the computer.

With a password manager you trust

Keep the passkey in iCloud Keychain, Google Password Manager, Bitwarden or 1Password, and it follows you to every device it runs on.

Related Features

Privacy & Security

Data Export

Quick Capture & Focus Write

Frequently Asked Questions

What is a passkey?

A way to sign in that replaces the password. Your device makes a key that works only for Pensio and unlocks it with your face, fingerprint or screen lock. Pensio keeps a public half that checks it, and the private half never leaves your device or password manager.

Is a passkey safer than a password?

Yes. There is nothing to guess or reuse, a fake site cannot use it because it only works on Pensio, and a leak of what Pensio stores opens nothing.

Do I need two-factor authentication as well?

No. A passkey already counts as your password and your two-factor code, so signing in with one does not ask for a code.

Does Pensio see my face or fingerprint?

No. Your device checks it and never sends it anywhere. Pensio keeps only a public key, which can check a signature but cannot sign anyone in on its own, so a copy of it opens nothing.

Can I still use my password?

Yes. A passkey is another way in, not a replacement: your password, Google or Apple keep working.

What if my phone is lost or stolen?

Sign in somewhere else and choose Sign out the other devices. That removes every passkey too, as does changing or resetting your password, so whoever has the phone is out.

Why is it still on my device after I removed it?

Removing a passkey in Pensio means it no longer opens your account. Your device or password manager may keep listing it until you delete it there.

Why can I not add one yet?

A passkey needs a confirmed email address, so confirm yours first. Your device also has to support passkeys, as current iPhones, iPads, Macs, Android phones and browsers do.