iOS/Mac (Apple) Password Manager

[tulak]

There have been many discussions of password managers here in the past and I figured this might be interesting to those that are fully in the Apple ecosystem.

Apple has announced a standalone passwords app for the next version of iOS/MacOS. Mac already has an app of sorts, but this was missing on iOS. With iOS 18, there will now be an app that lets you manage your passwords.

When I switch to 1Password a few years ago, I looked at Apple’s solution and the one piece that was missing was an iOS app. This might be enough to get me to move away from 1Password, further solidifying my dependence on Apple. But on the plus side, I can get rid of a yearly subscription.

The new app also supports family sharing, which is an important feature for me. I’ll see what it looks like when it’s released, but hopefully it works well enough for me to switch.

Apple Introduces Standalone 'Passwords' App​

Monday June 10, 2024 12:45 pm PDT by Hartley Charlton
iOS 18, iPadOS 18, and macOS Sequoia feature a new, dedicated Passwords app for faster access to important credentials.

Apple Introduces Standalone 'Passwords' App

iOS 18, iPadOS 18, and macOS Sequoia feature a new, dedicated Passwords app for faster access to important credentials. The Passwords app replaces...

www.macrumors.com

 

[audreyh1]

The iCloud Keychain or password manager has worked well enough for me - synced across iOS and MacOS devices. I use it for non-critical passwords which are numerous, but the most critical I have memorized or stored elsewhere.

On a MacOS device I can open KeyChain Access and see all the saved site specific passwords, search them, etc. On iOS Settings lets you search on Autofill Passwords.

I guess I haven’t figured out what is missing.

 

[tulak]

The biggest piece missing for me is the ability to add notes to passwords/sites. You can do that with KeyChain Access on the Mac (somewhat), but there’s no way to do this on iOS. You can’t even view the notes on iOS. That’s a problem if you need to look up security questions, etc.

The other feature I need is password sharing. Not a big use, but handy for streaming services that are shared with family.

Having an iOS and Mac app that has these features will be an improvement.

Plus, KeyChain Access isn’t as user friendly as it should be.

 

[audreyh1]

That’s true. DH uses notes extensively in Keychain Access.

 

[frank05]

The other features are storing images of important docs such as passport and driver licenses which Apple finally supports. They still don’t support autofill of other secure data such as your passport. They store credit cards and bank cards in a separate app which I don’t like. Also they don’t allow autofill of the credit card CVS from the Wallet app.

While they do have an extension to support keychain access on Windows, it doesn’t support all browsers.


I don’t like putting all my eggs in the Apple basket. If I get locked out of Apple due to a phone loss or some other icloud issue, I don’t want to lose access to my secure data.

 

[Jerry1]

I might start using it for non essential passwords, but I'm too leery to have my financial passwords in an app. I don't use anything currently except my spreadsheet but it's cumbersome and I would appreciate something that worked well between all my machines. I may check it out.

 

[Chuckanut]

I want a password manager that spans all platforms including Windoze and Android. Will keychain do that?

 

[PaunchyPirate]

I am a 1Password user across all my devices (mostly Apple). I plan on thoroughly looking at the Apple password manager when it comes out this fall. If it's comparable to how I use 1Password, I'll probably make the switch. But it will have to be pretty comparable. 1Password is pretty darn elegant in how it works.

 

[Midpack]

The iCloud Keychain or password manager has worked well enough for me - synced across iOS and MacOS devices. I use it for non-critical passwords which are numerous, but the most critical I have memorized or stored elsewhere.

On a MacOS device I can open KeyChain Access and see all the saved site specific passwords, search them, etc. On iOS Settings lets you search on Autofill Passwords.

I guess I haven’t figured out what is missing.

+1. iCloud Keychain has been very useful to me, across my iMac, iPad and iPhone for non-critical passwords. User friendly IMO. I also have a hard copy of all my non-critical passwords, so I will never be locked out. All are recoverable online anyway.

I haven't/don't plan to use a password manager of any kind for our sensitive passwords, stored and backed up elsewhere. I assume I will convert to the new Apple Passport app when it becomes available across all our devices.

If I get locked out of Apple due to a phone loss or some other icloud issue, I don’t want to lose access to my secure data.

 

[braumeister]

I am a 1Password user across all my devices (mostly Apple). I plan on thoroughly looking at the Apple password manager when it comes out this fall. If it's comparable to how I use 1Password, I'll probably make the switch. But it will have to be pretty comparable. 1Password is pretty darn elegant in how it works.

Same here. I've been using 1Password ever since version 1.0 (currently 8.10) and for my purposes it just keeps getting better and better. Still, Apple's implementation will undoubtedly be good so I'll check it out. Even if I like it, I probably wouldn't switch until version 2, just because I'm cautious about such things.