iCloud Keychain: All you need to know about Apple’s password management system – Times of India

A good password manager tool has become much more important than it ever was. Thanks to the involvement of apps and services in our day-to-day life, almost every operating system comes with its own password management tool. Along with that, there are several third-party password managers are also available.
For instance, Google has its Google Password Manager built right into Chrome, and Microsoft has its Authenticator app. Similarly, Apple has its iCloud Keychain, a tool that most Apple users do know about.
Also, the good thing about the iCloud Keychain is that it works across all Apple devices including iPhone, iPad, iPod and Mac.
In this explainer, we will tell you everything you need to know about iCloud Keychain, its features, how it works, the setup guide and more. Read on:
What is Apple iCloud Keychain?
iCloud Keychain, as already mentioned, is Apple’s password management system that automatically saves passwords, account names, addresses, Wi-Fi passwords and credit card details securely. These passwords are synced across all the devices that are linked with the same Apple ID.
iCloud Keychain is also integrated with Safari and third-party apps. It allows users to access their passwords, shipping address, payment details, etc stored on both first-party as well as third-party apps, services and websites.
Apart from regular encryption, the iCloud Keychain also supports Touch ID and Face ID authentication to quickly enter passwords and other details on a website or app.
How does iCloud Keychain work?
To use iCloud Keychain, users need to log in using their Apple ID account. Once logged in, the iCloud Keychain gets integrated into that particular Apple account and stores all the passwords and personal information on the device as well as iCloud servers. Also, all the data are encrypted to add an additional layer of security.
Do note that, for the feature to work, you’ll need to enable 2FA authentication for your Apple ID.
Once the setup process is complete. Apple iCloud Keychain will start storing passwords and other details and prompts the password automatically when a user is trying to login into an app or service for which the password is already saved. Users just need to authenticate it using Pin, password, Face ID or Touch ID.
How it can make life easier for users?
Just like any other password management tool, iCloud Keychain remembers the necessary information. The added benefit here is that it gets integrated to the Apple account and works across Apple devices.
For instance, if you’ve entered the Facebook password once on your iPhone, then iClould Keychain will automatically prompt the Facebook login credentials if you will try to login into Facebook on an iPad or Mac. The same applies to Safari and other apps.
That means, there’s no need to remember login credentials for each and every website, app and service.
In addition to that, iCloud Keychain can also suggest strong passwords while creating a new account on a website, app or service. This further helps users find a secure password that they won’t need to remember.
iCloud Keychain: Set up guide
Enable iCloud Keychain on iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch
Tap Settings and tap on your name at the top
Choose iCloud and select the option Keychain
Turn on iCloud Keychain. You might be asked for your passcode or Apple ID password.
Enable iCloud Keychain on Mac
Click on the Apple icon at the top left corner and choose System Preferences
Now, click on Apple ID and choose iCloud from the sidebar
Select Keychain and enable it