Apple explains how the new Magic Keyboard with Touch ID works in updated Platform Security guide

Apple Magic Keyboard Touch Id (Image credit: Apple)

What you need to know

Apple has updated its Platform Security guide with information on the new Magic Keyboard with Touch ID.
The document explains how the security works.

Apple's new iMac will arrive on the doorsteps of buyers soon enough and they'll find a new Magic Keyboard in the box. It'll come with a Touch ID fingerprint scanner for the first time and Apple has updated its Platform Security guide with all of the details.

The arrival of Touch ID on an accessory that connects to a Mac wirelessly is something that raised eyebrows when it was announced. Now, Apple is explaining how it maintains security between the Magic Keyboard with Touch ID, and a Mac.

The Magic Keyboard with Touch ID performs the role of the biometric sensor; it doesn't store biometric templates, perform biometric matching, or enforce security policies (for example, having to enter the password after 48 hours without an unlock). The Touch ID sensor in the Magic Keyboard with Touch ID must be securely paired to the Secure Enclave on the Mac before it can be used, and then the Secure Enclave performs the enrollment and matching operations and enforces security policies in the same way it would for a built-in Touch ID sensor.

Apple has also outlined the requirements to ensure that the pairing between Mac and Magic Keyboard is secure.

To help ensure a secure communication channel between the Touch ID sensor in the Magic Keyboard with Touch ID and Secure >Enclave on the paired Mac, the following are required: - The secure pairing between the Magic Keyboard with Touch ID PKA block and the Secure Enclave as described above - A secure channel between the Magic Keyboard with Touch ID sensor and its PKA block

The Magic Keyboard with Touch ID is only available when bought with a new iMac right now, but that will change in the future. It'll be compatible with any Mac running the Apple M1 chip and newer once it does go on sale.

Prefer something a little different? These are some of the best alternatives to Apple's Magic Keyboard that you can buy. Some are a lot cheaper, too!

Oliver Haslam has written about Apple and the wider technology business for more than a decade with bylines on How-To Geek, PC Mag, iDownloadBlog, and many more. He has also been published in print for Macworld, including cover stories. At iMore, Oliver is involved in daily news coverage and, not being short of opinions, has been known to 'explain' those thoughts in more detail, too. Having grown up using PCs and spending far too much money on graphics card and flashy RAM, Oliver switched to the Mac with a G5 iMac and hasn't looked back. Since then he's seen the growth of the smartphone world, backed by iPhone, and new product categories come and go. Current expertise includes iOS, macOS, streaming services, and pretty much anything that has a battery or plugs into a wall. Oliver also covers mobile gaming for iMore, with Apple Arcade a particular focus. He's been gaming since the Atari 2600 days and still struggles to comprehend the fact he can play console quality titles on his pocket computer.