Cabel Sasser thinks Apple should build a standalone password management app, and he’s right. Here’s what Cabel suggests:
In my dumble opinion, Apple should:
- Break Passwords out into a standalone app, with an actual fully resizable window (!!), and full, proper UI for most of its features
- Make Passwords a toolbar item in Safari for easy access and to be top-of-mind for the user
- Stick to a basic feature set, but do that well
I’m not the first to link to Cabel’s post, which isn’t surprising because Apple’s password management tools are excellent from a technical standpoint and sufficiently extensive to justify a dedicated app.
The problem is that Apple’s password tools are too hard to find and use, sprinkled across Settings, Safari, and app login APIs. As a result, you have features that are perfectly aligned with Apple’s privacy mission but a UI that isn’t. That’s too bad because, regardless of their technical excellence, Apple’s password tools are ultimately only as good as they are discoverable, and a separate app would go a long way toward encouraging more users to follow better password practices.