Apple Releases iCloud 12.5 for Windows With iCloud Keychain Password Manager App

[MacRumors]

Apple today released a new version of its iCloud for Windows app, with the 12.5 update adding a new iCloud Keychain password manager app for Windows users.

With the new password management option, those who are running Windows can access their iCloud Keychain passwords and can add, edit, copy and paste, delete, and look up usernames or passwords. Apple in January released an updated version of iCloud for Windows that hinted at the new password app, but Apple did not implement it until now.

New iCloud password extensions for Microsoft Edge and Windows Chrome work in tandem with the password feature, letting iCloud passwords be autofilled on a Windows machine just like in Safari. Usernames and passwords created for websites are automatically added to the Passwords app.

iCloud Keychain passwords on Windows are stored in an encrypted database and are transferred to the browser extension using an encrypted channel, with passwords not stored in clear text.

iCloud for Windows Passwords is part of iCloud for Windows 12.5, and Windows users can download it from the Microsoft Store. The iCloud for Windows app is designed to let Windows users access their iCloud files, photos, emails, and more from Windows devices.

Article Link: Apple Releases iCloud 12.5 for Windows With iCloud Keychain Password Manager App

 

[farewelwilliams]

bring back Safari for Windows please.

 

[iGeek2019]

This is very handy as it’ll save me from having to faff around with diving into Settings on iPhone to find a password!

I know there are password management apps readily available.

Now to sort out the mess that is iTunes for Windows!

 

[Phuz01]

This is great, but will files added on my iCloud desktop folder actually be uploaded to the cloud? That would be the real feature add, as right now there's a 50% chance the app will show 2 items uploading with nothing actually showing up in the cloud.

 

[TheYayAreaLiving 🎗️]

Nice! Much needed update

 

[nicroma]

It's a shame there's no Firefox extension button. I was happy to see this update for a moment.

 

[Canyda]

Personally, I find the Edge experience way smoother than Chrome for the password extension. I have to enter a six-digit code once in Edge to access the Keychain passwords during an open browser session, whereas for Chrome I had to enter the six-digit security code literally for every site for which I wanted a password.

 

[RamGuy]

It's a shame there's no Firefox extension button. I was happy to see this update for a moment.

It's ironic how poorly Apple is when it comes to supporting native features and API's outside their own platforms when they expect anyone developing for Apple platforms to adopt all the latest API's and capabilities of their native platforms. All their offerings for Windows is lacklustre and reeks of bare minimum effort. Same goes for things like Apple Music for Android that doesn't cohere to any of Google's UX design rules or guidelines whatsoever.

Considering all modern browsers, including Safari with v15 are all using the same WebExtensions API there is no reason for Apple to not allow Keychain to be integrated with everything from Microsoft Edge and Google Chrome, to Brave, Mozilla Firefox etc.

If Apple expect developers to start adding all their browser extensions to Safari with the move to WebExtensions with Safari v15 they should lead with a good example and do the same with their Keychain integration on Windows. Don't create these artificial limitations when there is no need for them when all these browsers are using the same baseline for their extensions.

 

[JosephAW]

Looks like it works with windows 7 or higher. Yet Apple throws older macOS under the bus.

 

[So@So@So]

I prefer not to put my passwords into iCloud !

 

[Shirasaki]

Wait. This app exist? (Seriously)
And, maybe consider releasing the “music” app that is on macOS to Windows. I can no longer manage iTunes library that has been migrated to Music app with iTunes on Windows.

 

[zorinlynx]

Nice to see Apple acknowledging that some of their users also use Windows.

I know several people who have iPhones but prefer to keep using Windows (they're gamers!) so they'll be really happy about this. I'm lucky to be able to have a dedicated gaming PC where I silo all game-related stuff for security reasons. Windows doesn't have the best track record there.

 

[Shirasaki]

Looks like it works with windows 7 or higher. Yet Apple throws older macOS under the bus.

Or even better: iTunes 12.6.5.3 still works under latest version of Windows 10. Look at what macOS is for that version now.

 

[now i see it]

Unfortunately "iCloud" has recently become a dirty word

 

[yossi]

Will this work backwards? So a password saved in Edge on PC will be available on my iPhone?

 

[yossi]

Would be nice if the article linked to the download page

 

[rafark]

At first I thought that pic was from Mac OS. I was like, no those buttons look ugly. Then I realized it was a Windows program and everything made sense.

 

[tylersdad]

I'll stick with 1Password. I don't use Safari on my iPhone or iPad and Chrome does not seem to add to the iCloud keychain.

 

[StralyanPithecus]

Unfortunately "iCloud" has recently become a dirty word

I like dirty words 😋

 

[Mick-Mac]

Now to sort out the mess that is iTunes for Windows!

It's not any better on the Mac side!

 

[Roadcrew]

This was one of the few things keeping me on 1Password after their recent changes and the whole non-native app thing. I might migrate everything over now.

 

[DSL Steve]

Unfortunately, you have to remove the older version before installing the new version.

There's no way to update your current version.

 

[siddavis]

I'd like this on my work computer. Hopefully the Chrome extension will add/update the passwords to the keychain the same way they would be added on iOS or Safari on Mac.

 

[Mick-Mac]

Sadly, in my experience icloud syncing between all of my devices has *never* been bullet proof. It'll work for a while and then something happens and you have a royal mess on your hands trying to recover from your devices unknowingly having had different data sets for weeks. Apple just can't seem to get this right - they went from the dot-Mac disaster, to the MobileMe disaster, and now we're in the iCould disaster. I want to use Apple's cloud because of their privacy stance, but wish they were as robust as dropbox. Maybe one of these decades...

 

[LeadingHeat]

Will this work backwards? So a password saved in Edge on PC will be available on my iPhone?

You’ll probably have to export them and import them into iCloud

edit: I thought you meant existing ones saved with edge’s built in password manager. If once you have iCloud passwords set up you save another password, then yes that should sync to your devices! I thought you meant to initially get everything the same.