After a phone upgrade, check where your Google passkey is stored and whether the new phone can use it. Completing a general phone-data transfer does not prove that every authentication method has moved successfully.
Identify the original storage arrangement
A passkey may be associated with a device, a credential manager, or a hardware security key. Google’s guide also describes automatically registered Android passkeys and passkeys created through supported Apple-device arrangements.
Inspect the credential provider and the Google Account’s passkey list. Do not assume that copying an app, changing a SIM, or receiving SMS restores the same passkey.
Check the new phone safely
- Update the new device and browser to supported versions.
- Enable a screen lock.
- Sign in to the intended Google Account using an existing trusted method.
- Check the credential manager or account options available on the new device.
- Complete an appropriate passkey sign-in and confirm the correct account opens.
For the Apple setup in Google’s guide, check the relevant iCloud Keychain requirements. Use the credential provider’s instructions rather than assuming every passkey has identical synchronization behavior.
Create a replacement only when needed
If the existing passkey is not available on the new phone, Google may let you create one there after verifying ownership. Keep the older working method during any trust period.
Do not delete the old phone’s credentials or factory-reset it before the new method and an independent backup work. If the old phone is lost or untrusted, prioritize removing unsafe access through the account’s supported controls.
Review the old device separately
Check its Google sessions and passkey entries. Google distinguishes removing manually created passkeys from signing out an Android device with an automatically registered passkey.
A retired phone remaining as a signed-out historical entry is different from a new active sign-in. Verify status rather than repeatedly trying to make its name disappear.
Protect the account that stores backups
Google’s Advanced Protection guidance highlights the importance of securing a backup account, including iCloud when it holds relevant device information. A convenient restore is also a reason to protect that provider’s sign-in and recovery methods.
Keep a separate trusted fallback so that losing access to one phone or synchronization account does not remove every route into Google.
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References
Reviewed against the linked official and developer guidance on October 27, 2026. Available options and screen labels can vary by account, device, region, and organization policy.