Users can choose to manually enter new account details into the app, requiring a label or website name alongside the associated username and password. Additional notes can also be attached to an account for further details; however, users are unable to add their own data fields. Accounts created through Sign in with Apple will be automatically registered into the app and will display their proxy e-mail address if iCloud's "Hide My Email" feature is used.
When entering a new account into the keychain, the app will also provide a strong password suggestion composed of random numbers and letters. All details are encrypted and stored on a user's iCloud account via Keychain, allowing Passwords to be synced and used across devices. AutoFill allows details stored in the app to be automatically entered into a website or application for quick and simple account login.
Alongside standard passwords, the program supports the use of passkeys and multi-factor authentication security codes and will provide users with security recommendations if their passwords are easily guessable or found in a data breach.[3] Accounts can also be added into shared groups to grant access to friends and family.
Passwords will also store the details of any connected Wi-Fi networks and can generate a QR code that can be scanned to connect another device to the same network.
Apple first developed their Keychain password management system as a component of their now-discontinued PowerTalk e-mail system. The concept was eventually revived and directly integrated into the operating system with Mac OS 8.6, allowing for the secure storage of several types of sensitive data.[4] At WWDC 2013, Apple unveiled iCloud Keychain, which introduced the encrypted storage of account details over iCloud.[5] This allowed for logins to be synced across Mac devices and introduced other notable features including AutoFill and generating suggested passwords upon sign-up.
A simplified version of Keychain has also been included in iOS since its initial release, with password storage previously accessible only through the Settings app.[6] Password AutoFill was first integrated into the operating system with the release of iOS 11, later being expanded into an API for third-party password managers.
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