Apple’s iOS 14 can turn iCloud Keychain into a real 1Password and LastPass competitor

Apple’s native iOS password manager may get an overhaul later this year with the likely release of iOS 14, which will make it more competitive with third-party options like 1Password and LastPass, reports 9to5Mac.

Right now, iCloud Keychain can save your passwords and help fill them in automatically on iPhone, where copying and pasting long series of letters and numbers or doing them manually has been a headache since the advent of the mobile touchscreen. But it has no reminders for changing those passwords like competitors do, and it doesn’t support two-step verification (2FA) options. That means users are still stuck with potentially unsafe methods like texting or email in case they have 2FA set up.

According to 9to5Mac, which says the new features are part of an early build of the upcoming OS release, Apple will add password change recommendations as well as 2FA support. It is not clear whether that means that Apple will offer its own authentication feature, such as Google’s Authenticator, Authy or the special versions of both 1Password and LastPass. But 9to5Mac says the goal is to remove the dependency on SMS and email as secondary verification options given the emergence of sim hacking and other more common methods of bypassing weaker 2FA.

This can be good news for people who want to avoid expensive subscription services; both 1Password and LastPass charge over $ 35 for annual access to more security-focused features such as 2FA support. And for those who would like deeper integration with Apple services, seeing a more robust iCloud keychain is a step in the right direction.