One of the most crucial steps people can take to protect their data is using unique, complex passwords that are neither easily guessed nor recycled or reused between their accounts. The easiest way to do this is by using a password manager. Apple makes one available to macOS and iOS users for free, but the application doesn’t stack up to the functionality of popular third-party password managers like LastPass and 1Password.
That could soon change, with the company reportedly gearing up to bring some of the best features of those apps to its own. According to a report from 9to5Mac, which said it obtained an “early build” of the forthcoming iOS 14 update, Apple is currently testing new security features for iCloud Keychain. Those reportedly include warning users about reused passwords to prevent against poor password practices as well as introducing a two-factor authentication integration that would allow users to log into sites without having to use a second key delivered via SMS or email, which can be less secure than using the function through a password manager, or a third-party authentication app.
Apple didn’t immediately return Gizmodo’s request for comment about the reported features.
Apple users may not be entirely ready to kill their paid password manager subscriptions just yet, though. The seamlessness with which you can use some third-party password managers across devices—on your Apple phone through a Keychain auto-fill function, on Chrome through an extension, on desktop, etc.—makes it a no-brainer for users who like the ease of having access to their passwords across all of their devices, and with relative ease.
But all the same, Apple introducing some of these functions to its existing password manager could help its users practice better password hygiene by using unique passwords for all of their accounts as well as making 2FA a little more seamless on those sites that support it—particularly users of 2FA using SMS, for example, can still have their information stolen through SIM hijacking.
A release is still a ways off, however, as iOS 14 isn’t slated to release until fall. So don’t go abandoning your better-equipped password managers just yet.