There are several risks associated with storing your passwords in Google Sheets, including its lack of end-to-end encryption by default and lack of secure sharing capabilities.
Apple’s new Passwords app is only as secure as your device since it can be accessed using your phone’s passcode. If you have an easy-to-guess passcode, such as one with four digits, consecutive numbers or personal details like your birthday, it places your passwords at a greater risk of being accessed by an unauthorized person. A standalone password manager, like Keeper® does not permit vault login with a passcode. Keeper Password Manager requires Face ID, plus optional Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) to access your stored data.
Continue reading to learn more about the security of Apple’s Passwords app and how it compares to standalone password managers.
How secure is the Apple Passwords app?
Apple’s new Passwords app is built with strong security; however, the app is only as secure as your device. Like any other secure password manager, the Passwords app uses AES-256 bit and end-to-end encryption to keep stored credentials secure. It’s important to note that how you access your stored passwords is just as important as the encryption methods used to keep them private.
To access your stored passwords in the Passwords app, you unlock it the same way you unlock your device, such as through Face ID or by entering your passcode. If you have an easy-to-guess passcode, your passwords are at a higher risk of becoming compromised if someone with malicious intentions, including a friend or family member, knows your phone’s passcode.
Apple’s Passwords app vs standalone password managers
Here are the top differences to know between Apple’s Passwords app and standalone password managers.
Security
As mentioned above, the passwords stored in Apple’s Passwords app are only as secure as your device. Standalone password managers like Keeper are designed to prioritize security and privacy. The best standalone password managers are zero-trust and zero-knowledge, using AES-256-bit and end-to-end encryption to ensure all stored data can only be accessed by you and no one else. Although Apple’s Passwords app implements end-to-end encryption, it does not encrypt on a per-record basis, unlike Keeper Password Manager. Encrypting at the record level is considered more secure because it minimizes the risk of a data breach if one encryption key is compromised.
Additionally, standalone password managers require you to create a master password to access your account. This master password acts as the key to enter your password vault. On Apple’s Passwords app, there is no opportunity to create a master password beyond your phone’s passcode. If someone knows your phone’s passcode and has your device, they can access all your stored passwords. For extra security, most standalone password managers also allow users to access their vault using biometrics and provide users the option to enable multi-factor authentication for an additional layer of security.
Support
Unlike most standalone password managers, Apple’s Passwords app does not offer 24/7 live support. The app also lacks a convenient place where users can find guides or FAQs to answer any questions they may have. Being unable to contact a support agent directly about the Passwords app will lead you to call Apple’s general support team, which takes significantly more time than having answers on the app itself. The best standalone password managers, like Keeper, offer 24/7 live support, allowing you to have your questions answered immediately. Keeper also provides a comprehensive user guide to better understand how to create, update, store and share passwords using the password manager.
Sharing
Considering Apple’s Passwords app can only be installed and used on Apple devices, this affects who you can share your passwords with. For example, we tried sharing a login credential on Passwords with an Android user and found that you can only share records with other Apple users through AirDrop. This limits not only who you can share your passwords with but also the proximity of the recipient. Another way Passwords allows you to share login credentials is by creating a shared group, which lets you share passwords and passkeys with those in your contacts. However, just as before, we found you can only share your login credentials with Apple users on Passwords since the app does not support non-Apple devices.
While Apple’s Passwords app restricts who you can share passwords and passkeys with based on their device or proximity, a standalone password manager gives you more control over password sharing. When you use a password manager like Keeper, you can create, store and share your passwords and passkeys on any device from any location. Keeper Password Manager eliminates the need to share passwords or important information through text or other unencrypted methods by offering a One-Time Share feature. This allows you to securely share your passwords and passkeys with anyone, on any device, for a limited time to protect your accounts’ privacy. For example, if you need to share a password with a coworker for a work-related account but don’t want to share it on an unencrypted platform, you can securely send your password through a standalone password manager.
Cross-compatibility
In terms of cross-compatibility, Apple’s Passwords app works best on devices that are part of the Apple ecosystem. While Apple says you can set up iCloud passwords on a Windows computer, it requires you to have:
- Two-Factor Authentication (2FA) enabled on your iCloud account
- iOS 14, iPadOS 14, macOS 11 or later installed
- Advanced Data Protection for iCloud enabled, or the Apple device must be within Bluetooth range of your Windows PC
Once you’ve met these requirements and have also downloaded the iCloud Passwords extension, you will be able to access your stored passwords on Chrome or Edge on a Windows computer. If this sounds like a lot of work, it is.
Standalone password managers, on the other hand, allow users to access their passwords from anywhere, on any device. This includes major browsers such as Chrome, Firefox, Safari, Edge, Opera and Brave, and Operating Systems (OS) such as macOS, Windows, Linux, iOS and Android.
Storage
By using standalone password managers, you can store more types of information than Apple’s Passwords app. Although Passwords and standalone password managers both store passwords, passkeys and 2FA codes, standalone password managers allow you to securely store much more private information. For example, if you have photos of your child’s passport or scanned medical records that you want in a safe place, you can securely store them in a standalone password manager. It can hold any photos, videos, documents, files or even bank account information, which you can then easily share with users on any device from any location. You can also store payment card information in a standalone password manager, which is something you cannot do with Apple’s Passwords app.
Password generator
Unlike most standalone password managers, Apple’s Passwords app does not feature a built-in password generator. Instead, if you go to create a new record, it will automatically give you a “strong password suggestion.” This suggested strong password consists of 20 characters, including a combination of uppercase and lowercase letters, numbers and symbols. By giving you a recommended password, however, Apple’s Passwords app does not allow you to adjust the criteria for your strong password in the same way that you can with a standalone password manager (as shown below for Keeper’s password generator). This can make it difficult and inconvenient to create strong passwords for websites and apps that have strict password requirements.
An alternative to Apple Password Manager
Ready to find a more convenient and seamless alternative to Apple’s Passwords app? Here’s what makes Keeper Password Manager the best alternative to Apple Password Manager.
- Security: Keeper safeguards all stored data with AES-256-bit encryption and Elliptic-Curve Cryptography (ECC), which are the most robust encryption methods in the cybersecurity industry. Additionally, end-user data is encrypted and decrypted at the device and record level – never in the cloud or on Keeper’s servers.
- Master password: The only way you can access your Keeper Vault is by entering your master password, which only you know, or by using biometric authentication.
- Multi-factor authentication: Keeper supports MFA, enabling users to secure their Keeper Vaults with an extra layer of security. The MFA methods Keeper supports include hardware security keys, authenticator apps and Keeper DNA® (smartwatch authentication).
- Sharing: No matter what device you use, Keeper Password Manager allows you to share your records with anyone using its One-Time Share feature. The recipient does not need to be a Keeper user themselves for you to share passwords or other information. Meanwhile, you can only share passwords with other Apple users through AirDrop when using Apple’s Passwords app.
- Cross-compatibility: Apple’s Passwords app is designed with Apple users in mind, which limits who can use the app. However, Keeper Password Manager supports every device and major web browser.
- Storage: When you use Keeper Password Manager, you can store passwords, passkeys, 2FA codes, photos, videos, files and more. Apple’s Passwords app limits you to storing only passwords, passkeys and 2FA codes.
- Password and passphrase generator: Keeper Password Manager features a customizable password and passphrase generator, unlike Apple’s Passwords app, which only generates “strong password suggestions” and no passphrases.
Choose Keeper to store your passwords
For Apple users, it may be convenient to save passwords on an app built into your devices. However, there are more benefits to using a standalone password manager like Keeper to secure all of your information beyond passwords, passkeys and 2FA codes. Keeper Password Manager allows you not only to create and store private information on any device from any location, but also share this information with anyone you’d like, regardless of their device or location. Overall, Apple’s Passwords app lacks the high-quality security, sharing, cross-compatibility and storage capabilities that Keeper Password Manager offers by default.
Start your free 30-day trial of Keeper Password Manager to secure your private information, no matter what device or web browser you use.