{"slug": "apple-passwords", "name": "Apple Passwords", "category": "security", "category_name": "Security and passwords", "description": "Apple's built-in password and passkey manager for iPhone, iPad, Mac and iCloud.", "recommenders": 15, "commenters": 22, "warners": 2, "score": 12.347, "rising": -2.25, "first": "2025-12-31", "latest": "2026-10-11", "why": "Liked for easy password and passkey sharing with family, tight iOS, Safari and iCloud integration, and being free with nothing extra to install.", "why_is_quote": false, "has_verdict": true, "sentiment": {"recommend": 15, "neutral": 6, "compare": 0, "warn": 1}, "spark": [0, 1, 0, 6, 1, 0, 2, 2, 1, 0, 1, 1], "listed": true, "loved": ["Family sharing", "Built-in simplicity"], "caveat": "Feature gap", "short_quote": "I ended up transitioning to Passwords because of its good integration with Safari and its sync in iCloud", "icon": false, "domain": null, "github_repo": null, "official_url": "", "pricing": "free", "aliases": ["Apple Passwords"], "verdict": [{"text": "Liked for easy password and passkey sharing with family", "cites": [{"id": 750689728, "item_id": 46918108, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46918108", "by": "rawgabbit", "date": "2026-02-06", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "For my personal passwords, I use Apple's password manager.  It lets me share passwords with my family.", "excerpt": "For my personal passwords, I use Apple's password manager. It lets me share passwords with my family. I also created a folder on Apple's iCloud that I share. https://support.apple.com/guide/iphone/share-passwords-iphe6b2b7043 https://support.apple.com/guide/icloud/share-files-and-folders-mm708256356b/icloud", "context": "", "use_case": "sharing passwords with family", "switched_from": "", "story": "Show HN: If you lose your memory, how to regain access to your computer?"}, {"id": 795195280, "item_id": 49699705, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49699705", "by": "toomuchtodo", "date": "2026-09-14", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "I use Apple Passwords and share passkeys with various groups", "excerpt": "Passkeys are also fine imho, I use Apple Passwords and share passkeys with various groups (partner, immediate family, extended family) for various systems, depending on access audience. Also, consider a legacy contact if you're in the Apple ecosystem. For those who rely on me as an unofficial trustee and guardian, I have them add me as their legacy contact, and I then print out multiple copies of the legacy contact k", "context": "manages family members' accounts as unofficial trustee", "use_case": "sharing passkeys with family", "switched_from": "", "story": "Ask HN: How are you managing aging relatives passwords?"}, {"id": 743149697, "item_id": 46446856, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46446856", "by": "fckgw", "date": "2025-12-31", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "You can also use the Passwords app, create a family group and add the shared passwords there", "excerpt": "If you're already in the Apple ecosystem, get them separate iCloud accounts with their own email and join in a family plan. You can manage their devices and setting from one location. You can also use the Passwords app, create a family group and add the shared passwords there so there's a central access to everything. My family does this except we use 1Password app instead of Passwords. Kids have their own devices, a", "context": "", "use_case": "family shared passwords", "switched_from": "", "story": "Ask HN: How do you manage kids' accounts?"}]}, {"text": ", tight iOS, Safari and iCloud integration", "cites": [{"id": 771599136, "item_id": 48224946, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48224946", "by": "TN1ck", "date": "2026-05-21", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "I switched to Apple Passwords this week. Really good passkey support, 2FA support, best iOS integration.", "excerpt": "I switched to Apple Passwords this week. Really good passkey support, 2FA support, best iOS integration. You can even share passwords with others. Sadly no first party cli support. If you only use Apple devices, it\u2019s really solid.", "context": "Apple-only user", "use_case": "password manager", "switched_from": "Bitwarden", "story": "Get your passwords out of Bitwarden while you still can"}, {"id": 778407510, "item_id": 48650469, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48650469", "by": "kdtsh", "date": "2026-06-23", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "I ended up transitioning to Passwords because of its good integration with Safari and its sync in iCloud", "excerpt": "Homebrew and mise-en-place are the only must have apps for me (both of which are not .app applications). Everything else is pretty well context-dependant and/or built in. For me, the better-than-you-think built in apps are: - Reminders - I haven\u2019t gone all in on any other task management software, but I don\u2019t bother because Reminders does everything I need - Mail - it is fiddly and idiot proof to a fault, but provide", "context": "", "use_case": "password management", "switched_from": "KeePass", "story": "Ask HN: New clean macOS install. Must-have apps? Best browser?"}]}, {"text": ", and being free with nothing extra to install.", "cites": [{"id": 752683264, "item_id": 47042704, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47042704", "by": "unodonut", "date": "2026-02-16", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "This is looking like the front-runner atm, for ease of adoption", "excerpt": "Thanks for the rec. This is looking like the front-runner atm, for ease of adoption (nothing additional to download and setup) and cost-effectiveness (free for those who already on iOS/macOS).", "context": "looking for family password manager", "use_case": "family password management", "switched_from": "", "story": "Ask HN: Which password manager do you use / would you recommend?"}, {"id": 752680257, "item_id": 47042516, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47042516", "by": "commandersaki", "date": "2026-02-16", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "consider the Apple Passwords app which is free. Having something is better than nothing.", "excerpt": "1Password - the only real drawback is they use an electron app for desktop, and they don't really have a good story for legacy recovery. Otherwise they have an incredibly strong security model (though it means its a bit complicated to the end user) and they support almost every form of credential TOTP, Passkey, passwords, etc. They're also working on simplifying unlock methods such as being able to use a passkey to u", "context": "", "use_case": "free starter password manager", "switched_from": "", "story": "Ask HN: Which password manager do you use / would you recommend?"}]}, {"text": " The most common caveat is a thinner feature set than 1Password or Bitwarden", "cites": [{"id": 775932721, "item_id": 48495795, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48495795", "by": "indemnity", "date": "2026-06-11", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "switched to the native Apple one despite its feature gap", "excerpt": "1Password? The last year with it has been so bad I canceled our $80 Family subscription and switched to the native Apple one despite its feature gap, because 1Password just couldn\u2019t do its basic job reliably (fill passwords without requiring 20 taps, constant unlocking disregarding lock timer settings or some other arcane dance like force killing Safari to reload the plugin).", "context": "", "use_case": "password management", "switched_from": "1Password", "story": "Ask HN: What software feels exceptionally polished?"}, {"id": 766037713, "item_id": 47877357, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47877357", "by": "post-it", "date": "2026-04-23", "stance": "neutral", "quote": "I switched from Bitwarden to Apple Passwords a few months ago, despite its worse feature set", "excerpt": "I've dramatically decreased my reliance on third-party packages and tools in my workflow. I switched from Bitwarden to Apple Passwords a few months ago, despite its worse feature set (though the impetus was Bitwarden crashing on login on my new iPad). I've also been preferring to roll things on my own in my side projects rather than pulling a package. I'll still use big, standalone libraries, but no more third-party ", "context": "", "use_case": "password manager", "switched_from": "Bitwarden", "story": "Bitwarden CLI Compromised in Ongoing Checkmarx Supply Chain"}, {"id": 771599136, "item_id": 48224946, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48224946", "by": "TN1ck", "date": "2026-05-21", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "I switched to Apple Passwords this week. Really good passkey support, 2FA support, best iOS integration.", "excerpt": "I switched to Apple Passwords this week. Really good passkey support, 2FA support, best iOS integration. You can even share passwords with others. Sadly no first party cli support. If you only use Apple devices, it\u2019s really solid.", "context": "Apple-only user", "use_case": "password manager", "switched_from": "Bitwarden", "story": "Get your passwords out of Bitwarden while you still can"}]}, {"text": ", and it mainly suits people who use only Apple devices.", "cites": [{"id": 771599136, "item_id": 48224946, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48224946", "by": "TN1ck", "date": "2026-05-21", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "I switched to Apple Passwords this week. Really good passkey support, 2FA support, best iOS integration.", "excerpt": "I switched to Apple Passwords this week. Really good passkey support, 2FA support, best iOS integration. You can even share passwords with others. Sadly no first party cli support. If you only use Apple devices, it\u2019s really solid.", "context": "Apple-only user", "use_case": "password manager", "switched_from": "Bitwarden", "story": "Get your passwords out of Bitwarden while you still can"}, {"id": 778830593, "item_id": 48676912, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48676912", "by": "sleepybrett", "date": "2026-06-25", "stance": "neutral", "quote": "I've more or less switched to apple keychain/passwords at this point.", "excerpt": "I stopped paying them when they killed local valuts, and secondarily when then moved away from native apps. I drifted along on the old 7.x client for awhile with local values. I've more or less switched to apple keychain/passwords at this point. I need a solution for linux, and have been thinking about some kind of simple 1-way sync issue that dumps stuff from keychain into some other tool for use on linux.", "context": "needs a solution for Linux", "use_case": "password management", "switched_from": "LastPass", "story": "LastPass notifies users of yet another data breach"}]}], "praise": [{"label": "Family sharing", "summary": "Commenters share passwords and passkeys with partners and family groups, making it a common pick for households.", "quotes": [{"id": 750689728, "item_id": 46918108, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46918108", "by": "rawgabbit", "date": "2026-02-06", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "For my personal passwords, I use Apple's password manager.  It lets me share passwords with my family.", "excerpt": "For my personal passwords, I use Apple's password manager. It lets me share passwords with my family. I also created a folder on Apple's iCloud that I share. https://support.apple.com/guide/iphone/share-passwords-iphe6b2b7043 https://support.apple.com/guide/icloud/share-files-and-folders-mm708256356b/icloud", "context": "", "use_case": "sharing passwords with family", "switched_from": "", "story": "Show HN: If you lose your memory, how to regain access to your computer?"}, {"id": 795195280, "item_id": 49699705, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49699705", "by": "toomuchtodo", "date": "2026-09-14", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "I use Apple Passwords and share passkeys with various groups", "excerpt": "Passkeys are also fine imho, I use Apple Passwords and share passkeys with various groups (partner, immediate family, extended family) for various systems, depending on access audience. Also, consider a legacy contact if you're in the Apple ecosystem. For those who rely on me as an unofficial trustee and guardian, I have them add me as their legacy contact, and I then print out multiple copies of the legacy contact k", "context": "manages family members' accounts as unofficial trustee", "use_case": "sharing passkeys with family", "switched_from": "", "story": "Ask HN: How are you managing aging relatives passwords?"}, {"id": 743149697, "item_id": 46446856, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46446856", "by": "fckgw", "date": "2025-12-31", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "You can also use the Passwords app, create a family group and add the shared passwords there", "excerpt": "If you're already in the Apple ecosystem, get them separate iCloud accounts with their own email and join in a family plan. You can manage their devices and setting from one location. You can also use the Passwords app, create a family group and add the shared passwords there so there's a central access to everything. My family does this except we use 1Password app instead of Passwords. Kids have their own devices, a", "context": "", "use_case": "family shared passwords", "switched_from": "", "story": "Ask HN: How do you manage kids' accounts?"}]}, {"label": "Built-in simplicity", "summary": "It needs no extra download or setup and was enough for some families' needs.", "quotes": [{"id": 752683264, "item_id": 47042704, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47042704", "by": "unodonut", "date": "2026-02-16", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "This is looking like the front-runner atm, for ease of adoption", "excerpt": "Thanks for the rec. This is looking like the front-runner atm, for ease of adoption (nothing additional to download and setup) and cost-effectiveness (free for those who already on iOS/macOS).", "context": "looking for family password manager", "use_case": "family password management", "switched_from": "", "story": "Ask HN: Which password manager do you use / would you recommend?"}, {"id": 752682722, "item_id": 47042670, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47042670", "by": "umairnadeem123", "date": "2026-02-16", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "the built-in Passwords/Google Password Manager are honestly hard to beat for simplicity", "excerpt": "For \u201cfamily members who struggle with tech\u201d, I\u2019d optimize for: - cross-device autofill that Just Works - account recovery you can actually manage (but not so weak it defeats the point) - sharing a small set of household logins cleanly In practice that usually means either: 1) 1Password Families (best UX/recovery/sharing, paid), or 2) Bitwarden (good balance, cheaper, can self-host if you want, but UX is a bit more fi", "context": "", "use_case": "simple password management", "switched_from": "", "story": "Ask HN: Which password manager do you use / would you recommend?"}, {"id": 752679600, "item_id": 47042475, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47042475", "by": "JSR_FDED", "date": "2026-02-16", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "I found the built in Passwords app in MacOS was actually sufficient for our needs.", "excerpt": "I was in your position, realizing I had to do something about how my family manages passwords. I found the built in Passwords app in MacOS was actually sufficient for our needs.", "context": "", "use_case": "family password management", "switched_from": "", "story": "Ask HN: Which password manager do you use / would you recommend?"}]}, {"label": "Apple integration", "summary": "Users praise its iOS and Safari integration, iCloud sync and built-in Hide My Email.", "quotes": [{"id": 771599136, "item_id": 48224946, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48224946", "by": "TN1ck", "date": "2026-05-21", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "I switched to Apple Passwords this week. Really good passkey support, 2FA support, best iOS integration.", "excerpt": "I switched to Apple Passwords this week. Really good passkey support, 2FA support, best iOS integration. You can even share passwords with others. Sadly no first party cli support. If you only use Apple devices, it\u2019s really solid.", "context": "Apple-only user", "use_case": "password manager", "switched_from": "Bitwarden", "story": "Get your passwords out of Bitwarden while you still can"}, {"id": 778407510, "item_id": 48650469, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48650469", "by": "kdtsh", "date": "2026-06-23", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "I ended up transitioning to Passwords because of its good integration with Safari and its sync in iCloud", "excerpt": "Homebrew and mise-en-place are the only must have apps for me (both of which are not .app applications). Everything else is pretty well context-dependant and/or built in. For me, the better-than-you-think built in apps are: - Reminders - I haven\u2019t gone all in on any other task management software, but I don\u2019t bother because Reminders does everything I need - Mail - it is fiddly and idiot proof to a fault, but provide", "context": "", "use_case": "password management", "switched_from": "KeePass", "story": "Ask HN: New clean macOS install. Must-have apps? Best browser?"}, {"id": 771612128, "item_id": 48225758, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48225758", "by": "culi", "date": "2026-05-21", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "after years of resistance I've finally partially embraced Apple's solution and have to admit it works great.", "excerpt": "https://alternativeto.net/software/bitwarden--free-password-manager/ Honestly after years of resistance I've finally partially embraced Apple's solution and have to admit it works great. I love that Hide My Email is integrated into it so well too Vaultwarden looks neat: > Lightweight, self-hosted server written in Rust, fully compatible with Bitwarden clients, implements the Bitwarden server API, supports organizatio", "context": "", "use_case": "password management", "switched_from": "", "story": "Get your passwords out of Bitwarden while you still can"}]}, {"label": "Free, no subscription", "summary": "It is free for existing Apple users, and some left paid 1Password subscriptions for it.", "quotes": [{"id": 752683264, "item_id": 47042704, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47042704", "by": "unodonut", "date": "2026-02-16", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "This is looking like the front-runner atm, for ease of adoption", "excerpt": "Thanks for the rec. This is looking like the front-runner atm, for ease of adoption (nothing additional to download and setup) and cost-effectiveness (free for those who already on iOS/macOS).", "context": "looking for family password manager", "use_case": "family password management", "switched_from": "", "story": "Ask HN: Which password manager do you use / would you recommend?"}, {"id": 752680257, "item_id": 47042516, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47042516", "by": "commandersaki", "date": "2026-02-16", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "consider the Apple Passwords app which is free. Having something is better than nothing.", "excerpt": "1Password - the only real drawback is they use an electron app for desktop, and they don't really have a good story for legacy recovery. Otherwise they have an incredibly strong security model (though it means its a bit complicated to the end user) and they support almost every form of credential TOTP, Passkey, passwords, etc. They're also working on simplifying unlock methods such as being able to use a passkey to u", "context": "", "use_case": "free starter password manager", "switched_from": "", "story": "Ask HN: Which password manager do you use / would you recommend?"}, {"id": 754261536, "item_id": 47141346, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47141346", "by": "qubex", "date": "2026-02-24", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "In December I migrated everything out and into Apple\u2019s native Password manager", "excerpt": "They\u2019ve added a lot of \u2018functionality\u2019 but I use none of it. In December I migrated everything out and into Apple\u2019s native Password manager, and cancelled my subscription to 1Password. Just in time, apparently. Subscription models need to die.", "context": "", "use_case": "password management", "switched_from": "1Password", "story": "1Password pricing increasing 20% in March"}]}, {"label": "Passkeys and 2FA", "summary": "Users report good passkey and 2FA support, including shared passkeys.", "quotes": [{"id": 771599136, "item_id": 48224946, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48224946", "by": "TN1ck", "date": "2026-05-21", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "I switched to Apple Passwords this week. Really good passkey support, 2FA support, best iOS integration.", "excerpt": "I switched to Apple Passwords this week. Really good passkey support, 2FA support, best iOS integration. You can even share passwords with others. Sadly no first party cli support. If you only use Apple devices, it\u2019s really solid.", "context": "Apple-only user", "use_case": "password manager", "switched_from": "Bitwarden", "story": "Get your passwords out of Bitwarden while you still can"}, {"id": 795195280, "item_id": 49699705, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49699705", "by": "toomuchtodo", "date": "2026-09-14", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "I use Apple Passwords and share passkeys with various groups", "excerpt": "Passkeys are also fine imho, I use Apple Passwords and share passkeys with various groups (partner, immediate family, extended family) for various systems, depending on access audience. Also, consider a legacy contact if you're in the Apple ecosystem. For those who rely on me as an unofficial trustee and guardian, I have them add me as their legacy contact, and I then print out multiple copies of the legacy contact k", "context": "manages family members' accounts as unofficial trustee", "use_case": "sharing passkeys with family", "switched_from": "", "story": "Ask HN: How are you managing aging relatives passwords?"}]}, {"label": "Reliable autofill", "summary": "Users who switched from 1Password said it works well where 1Password's autofill had become unreliable.", "quotes": [{"id": 775932721, "item_id": 48495795, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48495795", "by": "indemnity", "date": "2026-06-11", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "switched to the native Apple one despite its feature gap", "excerpt": "1Password? The last year with it has been so bad I canceled our $80 Family subscription and switched to the native Apple one despite its feature gap, because 1Password just couldn\u2019t do its basic job reliably (fill passwords without requiring 20 taps, constant unlocking disregarding lock timer settings or some other arcane dance like force killing Safari to reload the plugin).", "context": "", "use_case": "password management", "switched_from": "1Password", "story": "Ask HN: What software feels exceptionally polished?"}, {"id": 771612128, "item_id": 48225758, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48225758", "by": "culi", "date": "2026-05-21", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "after years of resistance I've finally partially embraced Apple's solution and have to admit it works great.", "excerpt": "https://alternativeto.net/software/bitwarden--free-password-manager/ Honestly after years of resistance I've finally partially embraced Apple's solution and have to admit it works great. I love that Hide My Email is integrated into it so well too Vaultwarden looks neat: > Lightweight, self-hosted server written in Rust, fully compatible with Bitwarden clients, implements the Bitwarden server API, supports organizatio", "context": "", "use_case": "password management", "switched_from": "", "story": "Get your passwords out of Bitwarden while you still can"}]}], "caveats": [{"label": "Feature gap", "summary": "Switchers acknowledge it has fewer features than 1Password or Bitwarden, including no first-party CLI.", "quotes": [{"id": 775932721, "item_id": 48495795, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48495795", "by": "indemnity", "date": "2026-06-11", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "switched to the native Apple one despite its feature gap", "excerpt": "1Password? The last year with it has been so bad I canceled our $80 Family subscription and switched to the native Apple one despite its feature gap, because 1Password just couldn\u2019t do its basic job reliably (fill passwords without requiring 20 taps, constant unlocking disregarding lock timer settings or some other arcane dance like force killing Safari to reload the plugin).", "context": "", "use_case": "password management", "switched_from": "1Password", "story": "Ask HN: What software feels exceptionally polished?"}, {"id": 766037713, "item_id": 47877357, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47877357", "by": "post-it", "date": "2026-04-23", "stance": "neutral", "quote": "I switched from Bitwarden to Apple Passwords a few months ago, despite its worse feature set", "excerpt": "I've dramatically decreased my reliance on third-party packages and tools in my workflow. I switched from Bitwarden to Apple Passwords a few months ago, despite its worse feature set (though the impetus was Bitwarden crashing on login on my new iPad). I've also been preferring to roll things on my own in my side projects rather than pulling a package. I'll still use big, standalone libraries, but no more third-party ", "context": "", "use_case": "password manager", "switched_from": "Bitwarden", "story": "Bitwarden CLI Compromised in Ongoing Checkmarx Supply Chain"}, {"id": 771599136, "item_id": 48224946, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48224946", "by": "TN1ck", "date": "2026-05-21", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "I switched to Apple Passwords this week. Really good passkey support, 2FA support, best iOS integration.", "excerpt": "I switched to Apple Passwords this week. Really good passkey support, 2FA support, best iOS integration. You can even share passwords with others. Sadly no first party cli support. If you only use Apple devices, it\u2019s really solid.", "context": "Apple-only user", "use_case": "password manager", "switched_from": "Bitwarden", "story": "Get your passwords out of Bitwarden while you still can"}]}, {"label": "Apple-only", "summary": "It is recommended mainly for Apple-only users, and one commenter still needs a solution for Linux.", "quotes": [{"id": 771599136, "item_id": 48224946, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48224946", "by": "TN1ck", "date": "2026-05-21", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "I switched to Apple Passwords this week. Really good passkey support, 2FA support, best iOS integration.", "excerpt": "I switched to Apple Passwords this week. Really good passkey support, 2FA support, best iOS integration. You can even share passwords with others. Sadly no first party cli support. If you only use Apple devices, it\u2019s really solid.", "context": "Apple-only user", "use_case": "password manager", "switched_from": "Bitwarden", "story": "Get your passwords out of Bitwarden while you still can"}, {"id": 778830593, "item_id": 48676912, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48676912", "by": "sleepybrett", "date": "2026-06-25", "stance": "neutral", "quote": "I've more or less switched to apple keychain/passwords at this point.", "excerpt": "I stopped paying them when they killed local valuts, and secondarily when then moved away from native apps. I drifted along on the old 7.x client for awhile with local values. I've more or less switched to apple keychain/passwords at this point. I need a solution for linux, and have been thinking about some kind of simple 1-way sync issue that dumps stuff from keychain into some other tool for use on linux.", "context": "needs a solution for Linux", "use_case": "password management", "switched_from": "LastPass", "story": "LastPass notifies users of yet another data breach"}]}, {"label": "Device unlock risk", "summary": "One commenter worried that anyone who unlocks the phone can reach all passwords, while another noted that Stolen Device Protection requires Face ID.", "quotes": [{"id": 752696928, "item_id": 47043558, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47043558", "by": "unodonut", "date": "2026-02-16", "stance": "warn", "quote": "Seems way less secure than 'Correct Horse Battery Staple'.", "excerpt": "Update, with Apple's 'Passwords' app, it appears all someone needs to do to get access to every single stored password, is grab your iPhone while it's unlocked, or sneak it from you while sleeping and use face id to unlock it. Or, they could shoulder surf to get a 6 digit pin to unlock the phone, then steal it, then they're in. Seems way less secure than 'Correct Horse Battery Staple'.", "context": "", "use_case": "password manager", "switched_from": "", "story": "Ask HN: Which password manager do you use / would you recommend?"}, {"id": 752811008, "item_id": 47050688, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47050688", "by": "NoNoisle", "date": "2026-02-17", "stance": "neutral", "quote": "Faced is required to unlock the passwords app if you enable stolen device protection", "excerpt": "Faced is required to unlock the passwords app if you enable stolen device protection", "context": "", "use_case": "password storage", "switched_from": "", "story": "Ask HN: Which password manager do you use / would you recommend?"}]}, {"label": "TOTP on same device", "summary": "Keeping passwords and TOTP codes on the same iPhone led one user to keep using Bitwarden for passwords.", "quotes": [{"id": 777414033, "item_id": 48588377, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48588377", "by": "rectang", "date": "2026-06-18", "stance": "neutral", "quote": "As much as I like the Apple Passwords app", "excerpt": "As much as I like the Apple Passwords app, one of its downsides is that if I have my TOTP app on my iPhone, both passwords and TOTP live on the same device. So for many services I use Bitwarden for passwords.", "context": "", "use_case": "passwords", "switched_from": "", "story": "I found 10k GitHub repositories distributing Trojan malware"}]}, {"label": "Update trust", "summary": "One user copied newly generated passwords into notes as a backup after problems in iOS 26.2.", "quotes": [{"id": 767222240, "item_id": 47951390, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47951390", "by": "razingeden", "date": "2026-04-29", "stance": "warn", "quote": "it was doing the same to me in 26.2", "excerpt": "it was doing the same to me in 26.2 , to the point where I\u2019d pause and reveal any passwords it just generated then copy and paste them into a note before proceeding. Not sure if it\u2019s fixed in 26.4 because I don\u2019t trust their updates anymore every one just makes the phone worse or deploys some new oppressive age app or identity verification scheme to lick another nation-states jackboots.", "context": "", "use_case": "password manager on iOS", "switched_from": "", "story": "Tell HN: Apple iOS Password app loses passwords after added"}]}], "who": [{"by": "toomuchtodo", "context": "manages family members' accounts as unofficial trustee", "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49699705", "date": "2026-09-14"}, {"by": "sleepybrett", "context": "needs a solution for Linux", "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48676912", "date": "2026-06-25"}, {"by": "TN1ck", "context": "Apple-only user", "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48224946", "date": "2026-05-21"}, {"by": "unodonut", "context": "looking for family password manager", "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47042704", "date": "2026-02-16"}], "tags": ["for families", "for Apple-only users", "for passkey users", "for leaving 1Password"], "use_cases": ["password management", "password manager", "family password management", "passkey storage", "sharing passkeys with family", "passwords"], "compared": [{"slug": "1password", "name": "1Password", "co": 7, "switched_from": 3, "switched_to": 0}, {"slug": "bitwarden", "name": "Bitwarden", "co": 6, "switched_from": 2, "switched_to": 0}, {"slug": "vaultwarden", "name": "Vaultwarden", "co": 2, "switched_from": 1, "switched_to": 0}, {"slug": "keepass", "name": "KeePass", "co": 2, "switched_from": 1, "switched_to": 0}, {"slug": "lastpass", "name": "LastPass", "co": 1, "switched_from": 1, "switched_to": 0}], "makers": [], "threads": [{"url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47042431", "title": "Ask HN: Which password manager do you use / would you recommend?", "mentions": 6}, {"url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48223258", "title": "Get your passwords out of Bitwarden while you still can", "mentions": 2}, {"url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47139951", "title": "1Password pricing increasing 20% in March", "mentions": 2}, {"url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=50033407", "title": "Bitwarden Dual License Model", "mentions": 1}, {"url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49753211", "title": "I don't like passkeys", "mentions": 1}, {"url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49698914", "title": "Ask HN: How are you managing aging relatives passwords?", "mentions": 1}], "sentiment_by_month": {"2025-11": {}, "2025-12": {"recommend": 1}, "2026-01": {}, "2026-02": {"recommend": 6, "neutral": 2}, "2026-03": {"recommend": 1}, "2026-04": {"neutral": 1, "warn": 1}, "2026-05": {"recommend": 2}, "2026-06": {"recommend": 2, "neutral": 2}, "2026-07": {"recommend": 1}, "2026-08": {}, "2026-09": {"recommend": 1, "neutral": 1}, "2026-10": {"recommend": 1}}, "quotes": [{"id": 800708833, "item_id": 50044302, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=50044302", "by": "phoghed", "date": "2026-10-11", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "Switched to Apple Passwords.", "excerpt": "I quit self hosting vaultwarden because in the age of the LLM security is an arms race that I\u2019m not going to win. Switched to Apple Passwords.", "context": "", "use_case": "password manager", "switched_from": "Vaultwarden", "story": "Bitwarden Dual License Model"}, {"id": 796131009, "item_id": 49758188, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49758188", "by": "tzs", "date": "2026-09-18", "stance": "neutral", "quote": "one in 1Password and one in Apple Passwords", "excerpt": "> Amazon prompts me to create a passkey everytime I log in, even when I logged in with a passkey, because my passkeys live in Bitwarden rather than my OS or browser. I use 1Password and Amazon does not prompt me like that. However I do have two passkeys for Amazon, one in 1Password and one in Apple Passwords. There's not enough data yet to say if it happens to you because of something not working right between Bitwar", "context": "", "use_case": "passkey storage", "switched_from": "", "story": "I don't like passkeys"}, {"id": 795195280, "item_id": 49699705, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49699705", "by": "toomuchtodo", "date": "2026-09-14", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "I use Apple Passwords and share passkeys with various groups", "excerpt": "Passkeys are also fine imho, I use Apple Passwords and share passkeys with various groups (partner, immediate family, extended family) for various systems, depending on access audience. Also, consider a legacy contact if you're in the Apple ecosystem. For those who rely on me as an unofficial trustee and guardian, I have them add me as their legacy contact, and I then print out multiple copies of the legacy contact k", "context": "manages family members' accounts as unofficial trustee", "use_case": "sharing passkeys with family", "switched_from": "", "story": "Ask HN: How are you managing aging relatives passwords?"}, {"id": 783547888, "item_id": 48971743, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48971743", "by": "doublebash", "date": "2026-07-19", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "", "excerpt": "I had used the built-in password managers in browsers for years when using Android. Since I switched to iPhone, I couldn\u2019t be happier with Apple Passwords.", "context": "", "use_case": "password management", "switched_from": "", "story": "Orion Browser by Kagi"}, {"id": 778830593, "item_id": 48676912, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48676912", "by": "sleepybrett", "date": "2026-06-25", "stance": "neutral", "quote": "I've more or less switched to apple keychain/passwords at this point.", "excerpt": "I stopped paying them when they killed local valuts, and secondarily when then moved away from native apps. I drifted along on the old 7.x client for awhile with local values. I've more or less switched to apple keychain/passwords at this point. I need a solution for linux, and have been thinking about some kind of simple 1-way sync issue that dumps stuff from keychain into some other tool for use on linux.", "context": "needs a solution for Linux", "use_case": "password management", "switched_from": "LastPass", "story": "LastPass notifies users of yet another data breach"}, {"id": 778407510, "item_id": 48650469, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48650469", "by": "kdtsh", "date": "2026-06-23", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "I ended up transitioning to Passwords because of its good integration with Safari and its sync in iCloud", "excerpt": "Homebrew and mise-en-place are the only must have apps for me (both of which are not .app applications). Everything else is pretty well context-dependant and/or built in. For me, the better-than-you-think built in apps are: - Reminders - I haven\u2019t gone all in on any other task management software, but I don\u2019t bother because Reminders does everything I need - Mail - it is fiddly and idiot proof to a fault, but provide", "context": "", "use_case": "password management", "switched_from": "KeePass", "story": "Ask HN: New clean macOS install. Must-have apps? Best browser?"}, {"id": 777414033, "item_id": 48588377, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48588377", "by": "rectang", "date": "2026-06-18", "stance": "neutral", "quote": "As much as I like the Apple Passwords app", "excerpt": "As much as I like the Apple Passwords app, one of its downsides is that if I have my TOTP app on my iPhone, both passwords and TOTP live on the same device. So for many services I use Bitwarden for passwords.", "context": "", "use_case": "passwords", "switched_from": "", "story": "I found 10k GitHub repositories distributing Trojan malware"}, {"id": 775932721, "item_id": 48495795, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48495795", "by": "indemnity", "date": "2026-06-11", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "switched to the native Apple one despite its feature gap", "excerpt": "1Password? The last year with it has been so bad I canceled our $80 Family subscription and switched to the native Apple one despite its feature gap, because 1Password just couldn\u2019t do its basic job reliably (fill passwords without requiring 20 taps, constant unlocking disregarding lock timer settings or some other arcane dance like force killing Safari to reload the plugin).", "context": "", "use_case": "password management", "switched_from": "1Password", "story": "Ask HN: What software feels exceptionally polished?"}, {"id": 771612128, "item_id": 48225758, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48225758", "by": "culi", "date": "2026-05-21", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "after years of resistance I've finally partially embraced Apple's solution and have to admit it works great.", "excerpt": "https://alternativeto.net/software/bitwarden--free-password-manager/ Honestly after years of resistance I've finally partially embraced Apple's solution and have to admit it works great. I love that Hide My Email is integrated into it so well too Vaultwarden looks neat: > Lightweight, self-hosted server written in Rust, fully compatible with Bitwarden clients, implements the Bitwarden server API, supports organizatio", "context": "", "use_case": "password management", "switched_from": "", "story": "Get your passwords out of Bitwarden while you still can"}, {"id": 771599136, "item_id": 48224946, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48224946", "by": "TN1ck", "date": "2026-05-21", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "I switched to Apple Passwords this week. Really good passkey support, 2FA support, best iOS integration.", "excerpt": "I switched to Apple Passwords this week. Really good passkey support, 2FA support, best iOS integration. You can even share passwords with others. Sadly no first party cli support. If you only use Apple devices, it\u2019s really solid.", "context": "Apple-only user", "use_case": "password manager", "switched_from": "Bitwarden", "story": "Get your passwords out of Bitwarden while you still can"}, {"id": 767222240, "item_id": 47951390, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47951390", "by": "razingeden", "date": "2026-04-29", "stance": "warn", "quote": "it was doing the same to me in 26.2", "excerpt": "it was doing the same to me in 26.2 , to the point where I\u2019d pause and reveal any passwords it just generated then copy and paste them into a note before proceeding. Not sure if it\u2019s fixed in 26.4 because I don\u2019t trust their updates anymore every one just makes the phone worse or deploys some new oppressive age app or identity verification scheme to lick another nation-states jackboots.", "context": "", "use_case": "password manager on iOS", "switched_from": "", "story": "Tell HN: Apple iOS Password app loses passwords after added"}, {"id": 766037713, "item_id": 47877357, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47877357", "by": "post-it", "date": "2026-04-23", "stance": "neutral", "quote": "I switched from Bitwarden to Apple Passwords a few months ago, despite its worse feature set", "excerpt": "I've dramatically decreased my reliance on third-party packages and tools in my workflow. I switched from Bitwarden to Apple Passwords a few months ago, despite its worse feature set (though the impetus was Bitwarden crashing on login on my new iPad). I've also been preferring to roll things on my own in my side projects rather than pulling a package. I'll still use big, standalone libraries, but no more third-party ", "context": "", "use_case": "password manager", "switched_from": "Bitwarden", "story": "Bitwarden CLI Compromised in Ongoing Checkmarx Supply Chain"}, {"id": 755742163, "item_id": 47233885, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47233885", "by": "sgtaylor5", "date": "2026-03-03", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "(but keep the Password app!)", "excerpt": "I\u2019ve got a M2 MBA and I love it. I can /live/ with Tahoe, would rather have Sequoia or something a little older (but keep the Password app!) I certainly /don\u2019t need/ a touchscreen Mac laptop, which is what Liquid Glass seems to be designed for. Having said that, I probably would\u2019ve switched to some version of Linux many years ago if it wasn\u2019t for the lack of business accounting software that was easy to set up. GNUca", "context": "", "use_case": "password management", "switched_from": "", "story": "Welcome (back) to Macintosh"}, {"id": 754332369, "item_id": 47145773, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47145773", "by": "al_borland", "date": "2026-02-24", "stance": "neutral", "quote": "I will probably end up going to Apple Passwords.", "excerpt": "I\u2019m really disappointed by this. I\u2019ve been a 1Password user for 18 years. Over the last several years, since they moved to Electron for the main app, things have gotten worse and worse. The browser extension doesn\u2019t work half the time. In addition to being frustrating, that makes it a less secure system, as one of the benefits is that it only fills the password on the specified domain. A lack of reliability of the ex", "context": "", "use_case": "password management", "switched_from": "1Password", "story": "1Password pricing increasing 20% in March"}, {"id": 754261536, "item_id": 47141346, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47141346", "by": "qubex", "date": "2026-02-24", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "In December I migrated everything out and into Apple\u2019s native Password manager", "excerpt": "They\u2019ve added a lot of \u2018functionality\u2019 but I use none of it. In December I migrated everything out and into Apple\u2019s native Password manager, and cancelled my subscription to 1Password. Just in time, apparently. Subscription models need to die.", "context": "", "use_case": "password management", "switched_from": "1Password", "story": "1Password pricing increasing 20% in March"}, {"id": 752811008, "item_id": 47050688, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47050688", "by": "NoNoisle", "date": "2026-02-17", "stance": "neutral", "quote": "Faced is required to unlock the passwords app if you enable stolen device protection", "excerpt": "Faced is required to unlock the passwords app if you enable stolen device protection", "context": "", "use_case": "password storage", "switched_from": "", "story": "Ask HN: Which password manager do you use / would you recommend?"}, {"id": 752696928, "item_id": 47043558, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47043558", "by": "unodonut", "date": "2026-02-16", "stance": "warn", "quote": "Seems way less secure than 'Correct Horse Battery Staple'.", "excerpt": "Update, with Apple's 'Passwords' app, it appears all someone needs to do to get access to every single stored password, is grab your iPhone while it's unlocked, or sneak it from you while sleeping and use face id to unlock it. Or, they could shoulder surf to get a 6 digit pin to unlock the phone, then steal it, then they're in. Seems way less secure than 'Correct Horse Battery Staple'.", "context": "", "use_case": "password manager", "switched_from": "", "story": "Ask HN: Which password manager do you use / would you recommend?"}, {"id": 752683264, "item_id": 47042704, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47042704", "by": "unodonut", "date": "2026-02-16", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "This is looking like the front-runner atm, for ease of adoption", "excerpt": "Thanks for the rec. This is looking like the front-runner atm, for ease of adoption (nothing additional to download and setup) and cost-effectiveness (free for those who already on iOS/macOS).", "context": "looking for family password manager", "use_case": "family password management", "switched_from": "", "story": "Ask HN: Which password manager do you use / would you recommend?"}, {"id": 752682722, "item_id": 47042670, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47042670", "by": "umairnadeem123", "date": "2026-02-16", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "the built-in Passwords/Google Password Manager are honestly hard to beat for simplicity", "excerpt": "For \u201cfamily members who struggle with tech\u201d, I\u2019d optimize for: - cross-device autofill that Just Works - account recovery you can actually manage (but not so weak it defeats the point) - sharing a small set of household logins cleanly In practice that usually means either: 1) 1Password Families (best UX/recovery/sharing, paid), or 2) Bitwarden (good balance, cheaper, can self-host if you want, but UX is a bit more fi", "context": "", "use_case": "simple password management", "switched_from": "", "story": "Ask HN: Which password manager do you use / would you recommend?"}, {"id": 752680257, "item_id": 47042516, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47042516", "by": "commandersaki", "date": "2026-02-16", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "consider the Apple Passwords app which is free. Having something is better than nothing.", "excerpt": "1Password - the only real drawback is they use an electron app for desktop, and they don't really have a good story for legacy recovery. Otherwise they have an incredibly strong security model (though it means its a bit complicated to the end user) and they support almost every form of credential TOTP, Passkey, passwords, etc. They're also working on simplifying unlock methods such as being able to use a passkey to u", "context": "", "use_case": "free starter password manager", "switched_from": "", "story": "Ask HN: Which password manager do you use / would you recommend?"}, {"id": 752679600, "item_id": 47042475, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47042475", "by": "JSR_FDED", "date": "2026-02-16", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "I found the built in Passwords app in MacOS was actually sufficient for our needs.", "excerpt": "I was in your position, realizing I had to do something about how my family manages passwords. I found the built in Passwords app in MacOS was actually sufficient for our needs.", "context": "", "use_case": "family password management", "switched_from": "", "story": "Ask HN: Which password manager do you use / would you recommend?"}, {"id": 750689728, "item_id": 46918108, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46918108", "by": "rawgabbit", "date": "2026-02-06", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "For my personal passwords, I use Apple's password manager.  It lets me share passwords with my family.", "excerpt": "For my personal passwords, I use Apple's password manager. It lets me share passwords with my family. I also created a folder on Apple's iCloud that I share. https://support.apple.com/guide/iphone/share-passwords-iphe6b2b7043 https://support.apple.com/guide/icloud/share-files-and-folders-mm708256356b/icloud", "context": "", "use_case": "sharing passwords with family", "switched_from": "", "story": "Show HN: If you lose your memory, how to regain access to your computer?"}, {"id": 743149697, "item_id": 46446856, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46446856", "by": "fckgw", "date": "2025-12-31", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "You can also use the Passwords app, create a family group and add the shared passwords there", "excerpt": "If you're already in the Apple ecosystem, get them separate iCloud accounts with their own email and join in a family plan. You can manage their devices and setting from one location. You can also use the Passwords app, create a family group and add the shared passwords there so there's a central access to everything. My family does this except we use 1Password app instead of Passwords. Kids have their own devices, a", "context": "", "use_case": "family shared passwords", "switched_from": "", "story": "Ask HN: How do you manage kids' accounts?"}]}