iOS 16 Finally Lets You See Your WiFi Network Password

[MacRumors]

The iOS 16 update includes a range of quality of life improvements that make using an iPhone a more enjoyable experience, and one of those tiny improvements is access to the password for the WiFi network that you're currently connected to.

If you're at a friend or family member's house and don't know the password to the WiFi network offhand even though you've connected to it previously, there is no way to view it in iOS 15. That's changing in iOS 16.

When you open up the WiFi section of the Settings app and then tap on the network you are connected to, there's a new "Password" option. Tapping it shows you the password of that WiFi network, following authentication with Face ID, Touch ID, or a passcode.

This is a handy feature if you need to share a password with someone else or if you want to connect on another non-Apple device where sharing is not automatically available.

Article Link: iOS 16 Finally Lets You See Your WiFi Network Password

 

[exoticSpice]

Impresses with iOS 16 and all the other OS too

 

[paradillon]

About F…… time 😇

 

[zecanard]

Apple will always try everything else (eg. AirDrop) before implementing the simple and obvious.

 

[FelixDerKater]

They must be short of ideas and running through user requests.

 

[TheYayAreaLiving 🎗️]

They must be short of ideas and running through user requests.

I think these are all user's request and feedbacks. Under the hood!

 

[ss2cire]

Apple will always try everything else (eg. AirDrop) before implementing the simple and obvious.

To be fair they do want to sell more devices haha

They must be short of ideas and running through user requests.

Probably this.

With all that said, about time!

 

[Yorkieray]

I was visiting family this past weekend and I failed in trying to get my cousin's iPhone to share the wifi password to my iPhone.
it would have been much easier if she could have just displayed the password.

 

[AtomicDusk]

For the 2-3 times a year I need it, I absolutely love this.

 

[_Spinn_]

Didn't realize this wasn't already a thing.

 

[petvas]

That's cool but it should have been there from the beginning. Glad to see Apple making these small but good changes.

 

[mtzfederico]

Now, add a second option to display a QR code with the SSID and password to let others join by simply scanning it.

 

[foley7]

I’m not a fan of this. As a parent who wants to control the devices on my network I would rather not have everyone I give access to my network to know my password.

 

[zoom25]

I’m not a fan of this. As a parent who wants to control the devices on my network I would rather not have everyone I give access to my network to know my password.

Right? While this feature is convenient, this is exactly what first came to mind.

Due to parties and such, for this reason I've made sure to keep my home wifi password something completely random and unique from any other passwords anywhere, so no risk in people knowing this particular password.

 

[reallynotnick]

I’m not a fan of this. As a parent who wants to control the devices on my network I would rather not have everyone I give access to my network to know my password.

I mean do you not allow people with Android devices or any other type of device on your network? This isn't a good security measure if you rely on this.

I'm not an expert but 2 things you can do is make a guest network and you can also limit access by MAC address (though that becomes clunky, so hopefully people have better suggestions)

 

[zecanard]

I mean do you not allow people with Android devices or any other type of device on your network? This isn't a good security measure if you rely on this.

I'm not an expert but 2 things you can do is make a guest network and you can also limit access by MAC address (though that becomes clunky, so hopefully people have better suggestions)

Also, even if you only share your password via AirDrop to iPhone users, they could simply get on a Mac and view the password in Keychain. Nothing is secret once you share it, and the only way for people not to know your password is to not give it to them in the first place.

Create a guest network, and change that password often if you’re worried about people sharing it.

 

[addamas]

I hope they add a shortcut for this as already there is an option to make an QR code with typed WiFi’s SSID and typed Password

 

[Gsmaniac]

This feature shouldn’t be available to network passwords that have been shared via the airdrop invite. There’s a reason why I do that rather than giving out the password.

 

[unobtainium]

Right? While this feature is convenient, this is exactly what first came to mind.

Due to parties and such, for this reason I've made sure to keep my home wifi password something completely random and unique from any other passwords anywhere, so no risk in people knowing this particular password.

A good reason to have a guest network I suppose. We only have people over who are close friends and family anyway, so I really don't care and have never set up a guest network. Most modern routers support that feature.

 

[1129846]

This feature shouldn’t be available to network passwords that have been shared via the airdrop invite. There’s a reason why I do that rather than giving out the password.

here is the problem with that. If you share them to any Mac it is a cake walk to get the code in plain text from from the keychain. You can not hide it or prevent it. I have been doing that for years to get wifi passwords off my machines. Now normally I have type them in myself but it is how I would look them up.

The protocol does not have a way to prevent that. Here is a better suggestion is at your home set up a guest network and don't let people on your main network. I have had a guess network for years and the password for it honestly a lot easier to give out but more importantly the guest network can only punch out to see the outside world and can not access any of my devices on the main. Plus I can and do turn it off from time to time and again does not affect my main system.

 

[1129846]

I mean do you not allow people with Android devices or any other type of device on your network? This isn't a good security measure if you rely on this.

I'm not an expert but 2 things you can do is make a guest network and you can also limit access by MAC address (though that becomes clunky, so hopefully people have better suggestions)

MAC address limiting is not really that good. Super easy to get around and all it does is slow down the network. The guess network is really the key thing and that can be used to bridge some devices over that the guest network can see.

For example on I have several wifi speakers that are visible to the the guest network but they are on my main network plus a few screens as well. These means people who I allow on my guest network and scream music or show something on the TV but changing the guess network password does not affect me or turning it off. Plus once someone has the network password it is not that hard to sniff traffic on the network in terms of security. Now not giving the password means they can not get the traffic going on either.

 

[lia1tan]

This is a nice improvement! I forget my passwords all the time so this would be convenient.

Although I do wish I can see all the networks I have previously connected to so that I can delete/forget networks without having to be in range of it. This would be handy for forgetting wifi networks that no longer exist for example. I know you can delete these if you have a Mac, but it would be nice if you can just do it on your iPhone or iPad.

 

[iPhoneFan5349]

They must be short of ideas and running through user requests.

Hopefully they allow us to edit a phone number when you’re dialing instead of making it delete the whole ****ing thing only to be able to include an area code.

 

[SkydiveGuy]

This is an IT department nightmare.
We spent the last year locking down Apple devices to prevent students in my school district from being able to get the password.

 

[foley7]

I feel like it’s an unnecessary feature. If people need to look up the password for the WiFi then they shouldn’t be on your network. The IT concerns are legit.