How to decide on passkey skip logic?

Vincent Delitz

Vincent

Created: April 11, 2025

Updated: April 18, 2025

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How do organizations decide on passkey skip logic, including how long the cooldown period should be after multiple user refusals?#

Defining effective passkey skip logic—rules governing how and when users can defer passkey enrollment prompts—is crucial for balancing user experience with optimal passkey adoption. Organizations typically decide skip logic and cooldown periods based on user feedback, adoption metrics, and proven industry practices.

passkey skip logic cooldown best practices

Key Factors for Determining Passkey Skip Logic:#

1. Initial User Acceptance Data#

Track how often users skip initial passkey prompts and identify patterns or user segments consistently refusing passkey creation.

2. Frequency of Prompts#

Common practice involves presenting initial prompts clearly and frequently after each login attempt, with decreasing frequency after repeated refusals.

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3. Optimal Number of Attempts Before Cooldown#

Industry best practices recommend providing users up to three consecutive opportunities to create a passkey. Continued prompting beyond this threshold typically results in diminishing returns and increased frustration.

4. Length of Cooldown Period#

A typical and effective cooldown period is approximately 30 days. This allows sufficient time for users to become more receptive without feeling pressured or annoyed.

  • First Prompt: Immediately after a successful login.
  • Second Prompt: Next login if initially skipped.
  • Third Prompt: Again at subsequent login.
  • Cooldown Period: After three skips, pause prompts for 30 days before gently reintroducing passkey creation prompts.

This structured passkey skip logic approach is based on extensive A/B testing and adoption analytics by enterprises like Amazon, Google, and Microsoft. It ensures persistent yet respectful engagement, significantly improving long-term passkey adoption while preserving a positive user experience.

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Optimize passkey creation adoption with post‑sign‑in nudges, A/B‑tested messaging and cross‑device coverage.

Read the full article

Already read by 5,000+ enterprise security leaders.

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