Apple to unveil ‘Passwords’ manager app at WWDC 2024: What it is and how it works

While all eyes are on Apple to announce new AI features across its software portfolio at WWDC next week, the company will also unveil a new password manager app, reports Bloomberg.

Also: What to expect from WWDC 2024: Siri, AI upgrades, iOS 18, MacOS 15, more

Keeping to its straightforward branding of first-party apps, Apple will call 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, people familiar with the initiative told Bloomberg.

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.

Also: I tried two passwordless password managers, and was seriously impressed by one

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. 

Passwords is expected to be free to download, available across iOS 18, iPadOS 18, and MacOS 15, and will also work with the Vision Pro and Windows computers, says Bloomberg. We’ll know all the official details during Apple’s WWDC keynote on Monday.