Apple to Launch Standalone 'Passwords' App in iOS 18 and macOS 15

[Lioness~]

Interesting, see how it will be and what plans Apple have with.
I have 1Password now, but if Apple are going all in on this now and I can leave a subscription, wonderful.
No problem to ditch a subscription.

 

[bradman83]

Having it for windows is big. The need to type my password on other platforms is what often keeps me from using long random generated passwords. Now that might not be an issue. Unfortunately too late to save some of my accounts which have already been hacked due to common passwords, but still a great step from Apple.

This already exists today, the updated version of the iCloud for Windows app that Apple released a few months ago includes a dedicated iCloud Passwords app and extensions for Chrome and Edge for auto-fill.

 

[JosephAW]

Yes but it will require a computer that can run macOS Sonoma M1 or newer and iPhone 15 or newer.

 

[Mr. Heckles]

iCloud passwords has already been cross platform for years now. Windows has all the iCloud, device syncing, and passwords app for Apple. Even integrates with google chrome and edge, or if you’re like me with Firefox you can use the standalone windows app. It works really well, aside from “shared passwords”. That needs some work.

2 operating systems is barely cross platform.

 

[AF_APPLETALK]

I thought about doing this exact app a few years back. Glad I didn’t, I guess.

They’ll still need 3rd party browser plugins for this to be a true 1Pass/BitWarden killer. Excluded LastPass because it hey already killed themselves. They won’t have to include it, but having the integration outside of Safari will make a huge difference.

 

[Mr. Heckles]

I feel bad for the folks at 1Password, but if Apple’s app is similar but free, I’ll probably ditch 1Password. 🤷🏻‍♂️

You realized 1Password is not the only 3rd party password manager? Their main clients are enterprise also.

Apple has a weather app and yet Carrot is around and other 3rd party weather apps.
Apple has a Notes and there are Standard Noted and other 3rd party note apps. How will this be any different?

iCloud Keychain only works on Apple stuff and Chromium bases browsers on Windows.

 

[RiskyScapegoat]

2 operating systems is barely cross platform.

For 95% of households, it’s cross platform enough. If you have an iPhone, you probably have an iPad or a surface type device as your tablet. Windows or macOS are likely the OS for your laptops or desktops. If you run Linux, then I’m sure you’ll figure it out on your own even if it would be nice to have that. And if you can sync your passwords with chrome, then those passwords would sync with an android device. I think that’s pretty darn cross platform.

 

[LIVEFRMNYC]

I use Enpass. But will probably use this too.

 

[Mr. Heckles]

For 95% of households, it’s cross platform enough. If you have an iPhone, you probably have an iPad or a surface type device as your tablet. Windows or macOS are likely the OS for your laptops or desktops. If you run Linux, then I’m sure you’ll figure it out on your own even if it would be nice to have that. And if you can sync your passwords with chrome, then those passwords would sync with an android device. I think that’s pretty darn cross platform.

73.9% use Window on their desktop. 43.86% of the world uses Android. This means majority of the people actually don’t use computers anymore. And working in the tech field for a living, I see this.

 

[Apple_Robert]

I'm probably gonna stick with Minimalist anyway, but I've been harping on this for years (only recently on here). With most password managers being subscription, Apple would probably prefer you keep paying for their cut.

Minimalist is offering a lifetime payment again.

 

[BipedalOS]

This will be welcoming to the average home user who uses the same password for everything.

I’ll continue to use 1Password because I doubt Apple will have integrations with SSH keys.

 

[TonyC28]

Now this I like.

 

[NervousFish2]

Thank God. I have been hoping for this.

 

[raythompsontn]

Hopefully the app will allow attachments such as documents (or scans of documents) and images. I store an image of my passport in BitWarden. It might come in handy when I travel to Europe. Having a copy of important information stored in an accessible cloud location would be nice. Of course, I will also carry a paper scan of my passport hidden in my carry-on luggage.

 

[drumcat]

There's a place for password managers you buy, like Strongbox. Happy as can be with it, and will keep it going.

My real hope is this kills all the monthly subs. That alone makes it worthwhile.

 

[rforno]

I thought about doing this exact app a few years back. Glad I didn’t, I guess.

They’ll still need 3rd party browser plugins for this to be a true 1Pass/BitWarden killer. Excluded LastPass because it hey already killed themselves. They won’t have to include it, but having the integration outside of Safari will make a huge difference.

Dollars to donuts they cripple this and make it dependent on Safari and iCloud, and it won't be compatible with any other browsers.

They'll do ANYTHING to preserve their 'amazing user experience' AKA customer lock-in. Sticking with StrongBox until proven otherwise!

 

[DotCom2]

Remember when Apple announced the Journal App and everyone thought Day One was going to get Sherlocked? Well…

 

[Eorlas]

wow. if it works well enough to make me happy, i'll swap out of 1Password. but as with many Apple's baked-in applications, they tend to be lackluster.

 

[dork]

What will this do that Keychain doesn't already do?

 

[Honumaui]

For me to ditch 1password might have to have a notes section for secure notes and other IDs as wife and I like having all our other info in one spot
also we do like having 1pass kids account so they can have access to our common ones and their own but not our main financial etc...

maybe a work around and save the subscription model which as most agree has been the worst thing that ever came into computers since Adobe made this subscription mainstream I blame them

 

[diego.caraballo]

I’ve been using 1Password for at least 13 years, and have been mostly a very happy customer. However, the last couple years the Safari extension on Mac has become unusable. I keep waiting for them to fix it, but nothing happens.

Unlocking the extension is a horrific experience, every time. It times out, presents a password prompt when 1Password itself is already unlocked, and almost always requires going into Safari preferences to turn it off and back on again. Then multiple reloads of the webpage and a little luck finally gets it to come up and autofill. Sometimes it’ll be unlocked in one Safari profile but refuse to unlock in another. It’s madness.

I used to recommend 1Password to non-technical friends & family, but no more. They would never get past this insanity. It used to Just Work, but now, on multiple Macs with the latest versions, it does all of the above.

I’ve avoided Apple’s keychain for all of this stuff since migrating to 1Password, but if this new app covers all of my needs and is integrated well into Safari, I’ll have to take another look. It also needs robust family sharing, not Apple’s usual half-assed implementation of family sharing. And integration with third party browsers would be preferable - while Safari is still my primary browser, I’m encountering a growing list of sites that don’t work properly in it.

I use Enpass and have similar issues recently with Safari as well.
Enabling/disabling the extension solves the issue, but what works better for me is to open Enpass before Safari.
That way it works as supposed to be.

 

[drumcat]

What will this do that Keychain doesn't already do?

Make a reasonable UI - that's the story.

 

[dampfnudel]

Yeah, a more robust password app would be greatly appreciated. I’m sure third party password app developers are worried about the future of their app and the revenue generated by it.

 

[Mr. Heckles]

Yeah, a more robust password app would be greatly appreciated. I’m sure third party password app developers are worried about the future of their app and the revenue generated by it.

Why would they be worried? Apple has a weather app and look at all the 3rd party weather apps. Apple has Notes, and look at all the 3rd party note taking apps. Heck, there are 3rd party email clients that people pay for, and Apple has an email client. How would this be any different?

 

[i'm the mac daddy]

It needs to have more security than just my passcode. If someone gets into my account it would be game over if they had all of my passwords. That's a big reason for me sticking with 1password.