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The Password App

Update Dec 8, 2024: Apple just released a plug in so Firefox users can have access to the passwords stored in the new Passwords app. This gives it even closer functionality to 1Password…see below. The plug in for Firefox can be found here.

Once downloaded, launch Firefox and add the Extension following these steps:

Open Firefox on your computer.

Click on the menu button (three horizontal lines) in the top-right corner.

Select “Add-ons and themes” from the drop-down menu.

Click on “Extensions” on the left sidebar.

Click on “Find more add-ons” at the bottom of the page.

You’ll find it in your Downloads folder.

Click on “Add to Firefox” next to the extension.

Confirm the installation and grant any necessary permissions.

Restart Firefox if prompted.”

Now… on with the article!

Passwords! Oh, I’ve written alot of articles about passwords but it still remains one of THE computers issues for a lot of people. Some use password manager apps that cost them hundreds a year, some struggle with the free version that don’t sync with other devices but most struggle with a book that syncs with absolutely nothing and ends up being a confusing jumble of passwords, arrows, cross outs and dates that seem to mean nothing.

Myself, I’ve been a user of 1Password for years, mainly because it synced between devices, but this costs me over $100 a year for the privilege.

Now, while it is true that Apple have managed your passwords for years via the Keychain, I mentioned in an article a little while back that this app had all the appeal of a basket of kittens with conjunctivitis and was about as friendly to use as the manual for a 747. 

Later Apple moved it to a preference in Safari that was better but was difficult to find.

But with the introduction of Sequoia and iOS18 Apple has at last come up with an app that syncs between devices and, while it could do with some features, is easy to use and has a certain level of promise.

You’ll find it nestled among your other iApps in the Applications folder, probably giving your Photos app a smug look with a very misguided new kid on the block vibe.

Double clicking on the Password for the first time you’ll be presented with the now familiar cookie cutter design looking a lot like Reminders. Namely a window divided into sections. On the left you’ll see 6 major categories; All, Passkeys, Codes, Wi-Fi, Security and Deleted. Lets look at some of these and ignore others for another discussion…(or skim over them briefly)

All is, as the name would suggest, all the passwords it is aware of. These will be the passwords that were stored by Safari. On the right hand side will be a list of all the passwords.

Clicking on any of these passwords will reveal more detail; the username, the actual password and the website that is expecting this password. 

These will, almost certainly have been gleaned from Safari and will work just as they did before when you try and log into a saved website.

From here if you go to a new website and go to create a new account with, lets say, The National Museum, the Passwords app will suggest a new password or you can create your own. 

Either way, once entered the Passwords app will link your name with that passwords and that website address and will cheerfully enter the saved password when demanded.

Fun fact, at some later date if you were, as an example, fooled into going a fake National Museum website the app would not allow you to log in because while it might look like the National Museum, the web address would be wrong.

The Wi-Fi tab is a list of every wifi network you’ve ever logged into. Going through this list and removing old ones might feel a little cathartic.

Security tab. Get notified when your password is weaker than your Wi-Fi signal or has been used more times than the word “iconic” at an Apple keynote. Going through this list and changing any affected passwords would be a good idea.

Share Passwords: You can share your login details with friends and family, but let’s be real—if you actually share passwords, you might want to rethink your life choices. But these groups can be used to pimp the Passwords app in other ways, but more on that later.

Set Up Verification Codes: Generate those 2FA codes because security is trendy now. Go to the Passwords app, tap the verification code section, and follow along.

Now, what about those who have been using something like 1Password and Dashlane. Well fortunately importing is easy. 

1Password

Open 1Password on your Mac.

Click on File then Export and select your vault.

Choose the CSV format, export your data, and marvel at how your life’s secrets are now in a plain text file.

In the Apple Passwords app, choose Import the CSV file from the File menu. Then, promptly delete that CSV because, well, security.

For now, keep 1Password because it does a lot more that store passwords and once we cover Dashlane I’ll show you how you use Groups in the Passwords app to mimic that functionality… that is until Apple improve the design.

Dashlane

Open Dashlane on your Mac.

Go to the File menu and choose Settings then Export and choose CSV.

Export your data, then watch the CSV file with a mix of pride and dread.

Import the CSV into the Apple Passwords app and dispose of the CSV file like it’s radioactive.

Shared Groups

So, as I alluded to earlier, there is a way to pimp the Passwords app to do a little more than the Apple designers intended… or at least make clear. 1Password and Dashlane can hold secure notes, software activation keys and credit card numbers and the Passwords app does none of these and while credit card details are automatically inserted when needed via Safari, getting the actual numbers to read out to a impatient wife ordering Chinese food can be tricky.

So I created groups that allowed me to, kind of, have these on tap. Allow me to demonstrate.

You might have bought an app that helps you write music or copies hard disks and when you bought it the supplier sent you a serial code. You installed the software, entered the code and then promptly forgot all about it. That was, until you needed to reinstall it or upgraded it and you were asked what the original code was. Panic!

Or, they might actually already be in 1Password or Dashlane but soon they will be inaccessible as you move away from these apps so copying over these details now would be a great idea.

In the Passwords app click on the File menu and choose New Shared Group. (don’t worry, we won’t be sharing them)

Give the group a name and click Create.

It might ask you if you want to move any passwords… you don’t.

Now, click on the + button and type in the name of the software title, in the user section you can type the email address you used to create the account  and  in the password section you can type the serial key.

I have done similar things with secure notes and credit cards and now, when the wife is breathing down my neck for credit card details, I can hand them over in a flash.

Apple’s Passwords app might just be the way to streamline your digital life or another cog in the machine. Either way, it’s undeniably integrated with all your up to date devices and at no cost. So, should you make the switch? Maybe. Just don’t forget your login password, because, well, that’s a headache nobody wants.

Permanent link to this article: https://www.macservicesact.com.au/the-password-app/

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