What is the difference between conditionalMediation and conditionalGet in WebAuthn?
Vincent
Created: October 15, 2024
Updated: March 21, 2025
What is the difference between conditionalGet and conditionalMediation in WebAuthn Client Capabilities?#
The short answer is that there is no difference. For some reason, Apple decided to not adhere to the standard give the same WebAuthn client capability a different name. This means that the WebAuthn client capability conditionalMediation (on Safari) is the same as conditionalGet in the WebAuthn standard (Level 3 Editor's Draft).
- conditionalGet and conditionalMediation describe the same WebAuthn client capability.
- For some reason, Apple decided to take a different wording compared to the WebAuthn standard
- Both are client capabilities within WebAuthn to improve user flows and reduce friction in passkey experiences.
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