Forget LastPass: Apple unveils 'Passwords' manager app at WWDC 2024
While all eyes are on Apple to announce new AI features across its software portfolio at WWDC today, the company also unveiled a new password manager app.
Keeping to its straightforward branding of first-party apps, Apple is calling the new service 'Passwords,' letting users quickly log into various websites and devices, generate complex passwords, and store them in a secure manager app. The app will also let users import passwords from third-party services.
Judging from the feature set alone, Passwords is clearly positioned to compete with popular password-managing apps like 1Password, LastPass, and Bitwarden.
Other features include the ability to list out user logins and categorize them based on types of services (i.e., banking, streaming services, social media, etc.), the ability to replace manual password input with Face ID and Touch ID and autofill when credentials are requested.
Considering this service would be operated and owned by Apple, likely to have a deeper integration across its iOS, iPadOS, and MacOS platforms, and doesn't have the same track record of security breaches as competitors, it should make for a compelling alternative for many users. It helps that the app is powered by iCloud Keychain, an existing Apple service that saves and syncs passwords across different devices. That should make user adoption a little more seamless.
