Apple plans to create a password management app directly in upcoming versions of the iPhone and Mac operating systems. reported Bloomberg's Mark Gurman on Thursday. The new app, called simply Passwords, will compete with existing password managers like 1Password and LastPass, which typically charge people a monthly fee to generate and store unique passwords. Apple plans to reveal the app at the company's annual Worldwide Developers Conference on June 10.
Apple already generates and stores unique passwords through iCloud Keychain, a feature that syncs passwords across all the Apple devices you own, as well as Windows PCs through a browser extension. But passwords stored in iCloud Keychain live (strangely) in the Settings app, often making them tricky to find or change. Having a dedicated password app built into Apple devices would not only make this easier but would also give people one more reason to stay in the Apple ecosystem.
Like its rivals, Apple's Passwords app will split passwords into different categories, such as accounts, WiFi networks, and passcodes (here's our deep dive explaining how they work). It will also let you import passwords from rival apps and will automatically fill them in when your device detects that you're logging into a website or app. Passwords will also work on Apple's $4,000 Vision Pro headphones and, like Google Authenticator and Authy, will support two-factor verification codes. What's not yet clear is whether the Passwords app will let you securely store files and images in addition to passwords, something both 1Password and LastPass offer.
In addition to Passwords, Apple is expected to reveal the next versions of iOS, iPadOS, MacOS, WatchOS, and VisionOS on Monday. New versions of the software will reportedly include new artificial intelligence features.