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Passkey-nxe

The current passkey interface.

A passkey, functionally identical to a PIN, is a feature available for use on the Xbox One and Xbox Series X|S consoles. To implement a paskey, users must go to the Settings app on their console and navigate to the Account tab, then Sign-in, security and passkey. Within this part of the Settings app the user can create or alter their 6-digit passkey which is used as a security measure so that only the owner of the account, so long as they don't reveal the passkey to anybody else, can make purchases, change account settings, or sign in. The passkey serves as a simpler alternative for a password, which it will ask for should a person enter the wrong passkey three times in a row.

Description[]

Source: Create and manage an Xbox One passkey | Xbox Support

A passkey gives the user a layer of security that can be entered faster than a Microsoft email and password, and be more private than using your voice.

When a personal passkey is created, the user gets the following benefits:

  • A passkey protects against a child signing in as the parent and overriding parental controls. A personal passkey prevents a child from signing in as the parent and changing the child’s settings.
  • A passkey helps to prevent unauthorized charges. You can choose to require a passkey to make any purchase on Xbox Live.
  • A passkey allows the parent to grant content exceptions. The only way for a parent to override a content limitation is by entering his or her personal passkey.
  • Your passkey roams with you. The passkey that you set on your profile follows you to any Xbox One console you use.
  • A forgotten passkey defaults to your Microsoft account password. If you forget your passkey, the console defaults to your Microsoft account password as a fail-safe.

Function[]

The connsole will ask the user for their passkey "before you sign in, buy things, or change your settings", as stated within the Passkey part of the Settings app. The user has a number of different configurable options for where and when they will be asked for their passkey. These options can be seen in the table below. Having a Kinect connected to the console removes the need for a passkey in many places.

No barriers Ask for my passkey Lock it down
On this Xbox, people can sign you in, see your data on web pages that use your Microsoft account, change your settings, and buy things without extra steps. We'll ask for your passkey before you sign in, buy things, or change your settings. You'll need to authorize signing in, buying things, and changing settings by using your Microsoft account.
Kinect Options
Make it fast, make it magic Check that it's me
Step in front of the Kinect and you're signed in, ready to play. On this Xbox, people can sign you in, change your settings, and buy things without extra steps Step in front of the Kinect and you're signed in, ready to play. We'll ask for your passkey before you buy things or change your settings, or if you sign in without being recognized.

If "Ask for my passkey" is active, going to "Customize" on the same page will allow you to determine the effect to which the setting is active, by determining whether the setting activates for each of its intended protections. These are:

Ask for my passkey...
At sign in To change settings To make purchases Custom
Passkey required Passkey required Passkey required Option
Passkey not required Passkey not required Passkey not required Option

The options available for each one will read "Passkey required" or "Passkey not required". If "Ask for my passkey" is turned on, all others are on by default. "No barriers" turns off all 3 areas of protection.

If the user chooses to sync their profile with a specific controller, their Xbox One or Xbox Series X|S will ask for their passkey when signed in with that controller. An Xbox One Media Remote can also be used to enter a passkey. Any controller developed by Microsoft which can be synced to an Xbox One or Xbox Series X|S will be able to enter passkey digits, such as the Xbox Adaptive Controller.

Failing to enter the correct passkey three times in a row will prompt the console to ask for your Microsoft account password. If the Microsoft account password is successfully entered and the user verifies themselves, they will receive the option to reset their passkey. This can be useful if a user has forgotten their passkey or just wants to reset it without going to Settings. There is also an option to alter or entirely remove a passkey at any time by going to the Settings app, Account tab, and then "Sign in, security, and passkey"

Interface[]

Passkey2

Passkey display prior New Xbox Experience.

After setting up a passkey, the interface will always remain the same apart from the text, which will commonly read "Enter your passkey". The numbers will display on the right side, in large text so that it's easily readable, and accompanied by their corresponding single-button inputs. There is no backspace feature, a feature which has been criticized by some.[1] The B Button button can be used to back out of the Passkey screen entirely, and the A Button button does not do anything.


Reference list[]

  1. Meireles, Maria (November 2, 2020). "A UX Analysis of Xbox Passkey". Retrieved on February 19, 2020.
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