Apple extends password app support for Windows
Users of the Passwords app can also access their accounts on PCs via iCloud. Now all major Windows browsers are finally covered.
Passwords app, here on iPhone and iPad.
(Image: Apple)
Apple has apparently finally managed to get a Firefox extension for its Passwords app to work on Windows. This is reported by users on Reddit. However, this only seems to work with certain configurations.
Extension available, but support came later
Apple launched a new password management application with iOS 18, macOS 15 and iPadOS 18 in September last year. This also allows synchronization via iCloud. In addition to integrating passwords in the official PC iCloud app, Apple also introduced its own extensions for various Windows browsers to enable users to access their passwords directly in the browser on Windows.
Initially, however, these were only Google Chrome and Microsoft Edge. Then, a few months later, an official Firefox extension also appeared. However, this did not initially work – until this week. Apparently, Apple had published the Firefox extension, but had not implemented suitable routines in the iCloud for Windows app. This has now been rectified with the latest update. As before, passwords are not managed in the browser, but in the iCloud application. Apple does not appear to want to implement purely browser-based password management in the style of 1Password and other competitors.
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Windows 10 vs. Windows 11
There still seems to be a problem if you are using the now outdated Windows 10 on your PC. According to user reports, the Firefox extension for Apple's Passwords app only works on PCs from Windows 11 onwards, although Apple has not provided any information on whether this will change. Under Windows 10, possible options for Firefox do not appear at all.
Apple's Passwords app has become increasingly important in recent years, as it also supports the use of passkeys. This form of biometric authentication is currently still difficult to export, which is why users are stuck in a password application once they start using it. However, Apple has decided to make passkeys exportable in the future. From the fall, it will be possible for the first time to move the passkeys stored in the iCloud Keychain or Apple's Passwords app to another password manager. According to Apple, exporting passwords and one-time codes will also be supported, as will importing them.
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