Apple revealed a new password manager at WWDC 2024, aiming to take over other leading players like LastPass as the go-to password manager for iPhone, iPad, and Mac.
During the annual WWDC keynote, Apple showed off its dedicated Passwords app for iOS 18, iPadOS 18, and macOS Sequoia (macOS 15). It acts as an extension of its iCloud Keychain feature, which stores and auto-fills private information such as Safari and app usernames, passwords and passkeys, credit card information and security codes, and Wi-Fi passwords.
Now expanding into a full-fledged app, Passwords is set to let users manage their passwords. Better yet, it’s free for all Apple device owners.
What can Apple’s Passwords app do?
With the Passwords app, users will have an easier way to access and control their credentials for different online accounts, rather than heading into Settings. Like an authenticator app, it will also generate verification codes and brings up security alerts.
The Passwords app makes it easy to access your credentials across accounts. It securely syncs across devices, and newly made passwords will automatically populate in the Passwords app.
Passwords will also be available on the Apple Vision Pro. There were rumors it would be available for Windows users, but this has yet to be confirmed by Apple. While Apple device owners will be able to use the password manager app for free, the Windows version will act as more of an add-on for users accessing accounts on Windows PCs.
Lock and Hide apps
More on the privacy front, iOS 18 introduced a way to lock and hide specific apps from users. There's Lock an App, meaning when you give someone your phone, no one can access it.
To take it a step further, you can also use Hide an App, so no one will know you have an app available when they see your iPhone.
Trouble for third-party password managers
Password managers such as 1Password, Dashlane, and LastPass services have long been the standout third-party services for users to manage and keep their passwords secure. With the arrival of Apple’s free Passwords app, we may see iPhone users flock away from paid password manager services.
That said, LastPass, 1Password, and more offer a few additional security tools compared to Apple’s Passwords app, including a password generator, dark web monitoring, a security dashboard, and more. The Cupertino tech giant may include similar features down the line, but these paid services still have a horse in the race.
For more on everything announced at WWDC 2024, we’ve got you covered.
Topics Apple Cybersecurity WWDC
