Tag: phones

10 Best Mobile Games for iOS and Android

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Don’t doomscroll more depressing news, use that phone to lift your mood instead. The best mobile games will bring a little joy to your day, whether you’re killing time on the commute or chilling on the couch. And these games are all addictive slices of gaming pleasure that we have been gorging on for years.

As smartphone screens and processing power have grown, the lines between mobile gaming and just gaming have blurred, and you can find tons of great mobile games that have been ported or adapted from other systems (Minecraft, Call of Duty, Fortnite, Roblox, Stardew Valley, Grand Theft Auto, and the list goes on). But all of these titles are best enjoyed on other platforms. Our picks here are games that work especially well on your phone.

Snag one of the best mobile controllers to level up your smartphone gaming. You may also be interested in subscription services like Google Play Pass or Apple Arcade. You can even play some Android games on your PC now.

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October 27, 2024
The Best Samsung Phones of 2024, Tested and Reviewed

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Most people buy phones directly from their carrier, but if you’re reading this guide, I suggest you buy an unlocked smartphone. When you buy a carrier phone, it’s “locked” to that network. That means if you want to switch carriers, like move from Verizon to T-Mobile, you’ll have to ask your carrier to unlock the device, and this can be a huge headache. (Especially if you’re traveling and want to use an international SIM card.) Asking a carrier to unlock a phone usually has a few requirements, like making sure your device is paid off, or waiting for a set period of time. Unlocked phones, on the other hand, don’t have this problem. You’re free to use whatever carrier you want, whenever.

Carriers also mask the true cost of a smartphone. AT&T may entice you with a $36 per month payment for a shiny new Samsung flagship, when in reality, that means you’re paying $1,300 on a smartphone over 36 months. Did you really want to spend that much? Or will a cheaper phone suffice? Also, you’re more likely to get software updates faster as they come directly from Samsung, and there’s often far less preinstalled bloatware to deal with.

All to say, buy unlocked! You can buy unlocked Galaxy phones directly from Samsung and most third-party retailers like Amazon, Best Buy, and Walmart.

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October 25, 2024
Xiaomi 14T and 14T Pro Review: Solid but Not Snazzy

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Xiaomi’s 15 flagship range won’t arrive in most of the world until early 2025. In the meantime, we get a midyear update to the 14 range in the shape of the 14T and 14T Pro, though neither bears much relation to the Xiaomi 14 or 14 Ultra. The Chinese manufacturer overtook Apple in August to become the world’s second-biggest smartphone brand by sales, and its expansive (if slightly confusing) range is no doubt part of the reason.

The T range packs some high-end features from Xiaomi’s flagships, but there are usually a few omissions to bring the price down. You may struggle to spot the difference between the 14T and 14T Pro because these phones are practically twins, but there are some subtle refinements to justify the 14T Pro’s higher price. Both come with Google services and are available in the UK and across Europe, but will not officially go on sale in the US.

Nice but Dull

At first glance, you will struggle to tell the 14T and 14T Pro apart. These are ultrasize phones with 6.67-inch screens. They have relatively thick, flat frames, textured power buttons underneath the volume rocker, and quad camera lenses (one is actually the flash) in stepped, square modules on the back. Pick them up, and you immediately feel the weight of the heavier, more metallic Pro, with its subtly curved back (the 14T is flat on the back).

The only other design difference that jumps out is the colors. Both come in blue, black, or gray, but only the 14T comes in Lemon Green. Why are fun colors always reserved for cheaper phones? The 14T Pro feels nicer and reminds me of an old HTC phone (in a good way), but there isn’t much to separate them.

Photograph: Simon Hill

The 6.67-inch display is the highlight of the 14T and 14T Pro and is the same in both. It is sharp at 2,712 x 1,220 pixels, gets bright enough to see outdoors and to display HDR details at up to 4,000 nits, and supports a variable refresh rate of up to 144 Hz for smooth action. It also hosts a responsive fingerprint sensor at the bottom.

Stereo speakers that get plenty loud round out the design, and both phones score an IP68 rating, meaning they can survive a dunk. I prefer the feel of the 14T Pro, but these are big, chunky phones, so they might not suit everyone. While they look classy, the designs are a bit boring.

Classy Camera

Photograph: Simon Hill

One of the main reasons to opt for a Xiaomi phone is the camera hardware, and this is also where the 14T Pro shows its superiority. The Pro has a 50-MP main camera with the same 1-inch image sensor as the excellent 14 Ultra and a large aperture (f/1.6). It is paired with a 50-MP telephoto shooter, offering up to 5x optical zoom. There is also a decent 12-MP ultrawide camera.

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September 26, 2024
Apple iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Plus Review: Why Go Pro?

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In recent years, Apple started giving the iPhone Pro models a significant chip upgrade to increase the performance gap between the phones, but this year they’re all on the same starting point: the A18 chipset. The iPhone 16 Pro devices feature the A18 Pro, which features larger CPU cache sizes and an extra graphics score for slightly better overall performance. That said, in my benchmark tests, the iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Plus are just behind the Pros and still more powerful than any other phone on the market.

I played AAA games like Resident Evil and Assassin’s Creed Mirage, though I did run into a few more stutters than the Pro models (and just as many crashes, though this could have been because I was running a developer beta of iOS 18.1). I want to note that these games are currently the cream of the crop in graphical fidelity, so I’m purposefully stress-testing. Most of the titles you’ll play will run perfectly. The Pro models this year have improved thermal performance, but Apple made some tweaks to improve the heat dissipation on the standard iPhones too, and I have not noticed the phones getting significantly hot.

More importantly, every iPhone 16 model will be capable of running Apple Intelligence, the suite of artificial intelligence features coming in an update in October. I go over exactly what’s included in Apple Intelligence in my iOS 18 guide, and have broadly evaluated the current experience in my iPhone 16 Pro review. There are some helpful day-to-day features, like real-time transcriptions in Voice Notes or call recordings, but we’ll have to wait until Apple brings the full kit.

Battery life is a high note. I eked out better battery life on the iPhone 16 Plus than the Pro Max, hitting more than 7 hours of screen-on time with 36 percent left in the tank at 1 am. The iPhone 16 is no slouch, giving me 6 hours of screen-on time with around 20 percent remaining. And that’s with a mix of doomscrolling on Instagram, picture-snapping, navigation, and music streaming. These devices will get you through a full day and then some. Speaking of the battery, it’s easier to replace on the iPhone 16 and 16 Plus (not the Pro models), and iFixit gave it a 7/10 in overall repairability, which is a huge improvement over prior years.

It’s a shame Apple did not bring an updated spec for the charging port. When Apple switched to USB-C last year, it kept the same data transfer speeds for the iPhone 15—480 Megabits per second. The Pro, on the other hand, has USB3 speeds of up to 20 Gigabits per second. It’s a massive difference (and an unnecessary one), but this only matters if you find yourself moving files from your iPhone to another device with a cord.

Good Cameras

Photograph: Julian Chokkattu

The iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Plus hold their own in the camera department. I found no significant differences even in low light when shooting with the main camera and the ultrawide. The Pro phones edge them out here and there, but the gap is small. Autofocus is new in the 12-MP ultrawide, so you can take macro photos. I can’t stop taking close-up shots of my pup’s nose. Boop!

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September 23, 2024
The Best iPhone 16 Cases and Accessories (2024), Tested and Reviewed

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There are so many cases. Here are other ones I’ve tried that I don’t like as much as the picks above but might be suitable for you.

Casely Bold ($35) and Classic Cases for $25: I like the Casely Classic more than the bold—the buttons don’t feel as mushy, and the hardshell plastic feels nice. Both have a nice cutout for Camera Control, with raised edges around the screen, and good MagSafe support. They also look fun! There’s even a collaboration with the Metropolitan Museum of Art so you can get your favorite painting on the back of your iPhone. Forget the trek to New York.

Apple Silicone MagSafe Case and Clear MagSafe Case for $49: If you want to stick with official Apple cases, these are fine. They’re just a bit expensive for what you get. The silicone cases tend to pick up pet hair and dust very easily, so they feel icky. The Clear case works well, but the buttons require more force to press than our picks above.

OtterBox Symmetry Soft Touch MagSafe ($60), Symmetry Ultra Slim MagSafe ($50), and Symmetry Cactus Leather MagSafe ($60): All of these cases have a big gap for Camera Control, which I don’t love. It just looks awkward and is not symmetrical (ironic). The Soft Touch feels very nice but has mushy buttons. The Ultra Slim doesn’t have that problem but it’s slippery, and the Cactus Leather model is solid overall. Just know that cactus leather isn’t necessarily as environmentally friendly as marketed.

Wave MagSafe Case for $48: You can choose from a lot of colors, but this is an otherwise dull-looking case. The Action Button is a little harder to press and the whole thing is a bit slippery, but everything else works fine. The edges around the screen are raised and the MagSafe connection is good. The main reason to buy the Wave is because it’s made from biodegradable materials (wheat straw), and the company is a member of Surfers Against Sewage 250 Club, a charity that works to keep the UK coastline clean. Wave Case is based in the UK, so do note the international shipping fee.

Speck Presidio 2 Pro MagSafe Case for $50: I tried an array of Speck cases and they’re all solid, but my favorite is the Presidio 2 Pro. I funnily found it grippier than the Presidio 2 Grip. It checks off all the other boxes, with a roomy, sloped cutout for Camera Control, though the power button is slightly harder to press. Speck has a proprietary locking system called ClickLock that makes the MagSafe system more secure but you need to pair it with Speck’s accessories to get it to work. I think if you tend to use MagSafe wallets, then this might be useful, as it does hold the wallet more securely than standard MagSafe. But for people mounting the iPhone, go with Peak Design’s SlimLink.

Spigen Tough Armor MagSafe Case for $26: It’s been years and Spigen has not figured out a way to make this kickstand work in portrait and landscape orientation. (It only works in the latter.) Other than that, this is a fine case, if a bit bulky, with clicky buttons, and a spacious and sloped cutout for Camera Control. The design’s a bit dull.

Burga Tough Case ($24) and Burga Elite Case ($85): Burga’s Elite case is very slippery; there are some grips on the edges but they don’t help much. There’s a spot to attach a lanyard though. The buttons are clicky on both these cases, with raised edges around the screen, and a cutout for Camera Control. The Tough and Elite cases do not have MagSafe support, so if you want a case without it, here you go. (Why?) That said, the company does sell an Elite MagSafe case ($90) but the price is a little ridiculous. At least there are lots of designs to choose from.

Smartish Wallet Slayer Vol. 1 for $30: This case has an integrated wallet that lets you store two to three cards and you can easily push them out from the gap on the left. I just don’t like integrated wallet cases in this style that add bulk and disable features like MagSafe and wireless charging, so it’s not for me, but maybe you don’t mind.

BodyGuardz Ace Pro MagSafe Case for $50: Do you want a lanyard? This case comes with one preinstalled (you can remove it). I found the case too slippery, and the buttons are flush with the case, which might contribute to that. At least they’re clicky. Camera Control also works well here, but the clear back attracts a lot of smudges. There’s also a completely clear version called the Accent Clear ($55), but I didn’t like it as much as the Totallee Clear case.

MagEasy Odyssey Strap M MagSafe Case for $45: This is pretty good value considering you get a protective case and a crossbody lanyard. You can even swap out the bumpers at the bottom for when you don’t want the lanyard, though how many times are you going to do this? You’ll more likely lose the spare bumpers. The Action Button is a bit mushy but the rest work well. I’d have liked more room in the Camera Control cutout though.

Incase Icon MagSafe Case for $60: I tried a bunch of Incase cases, from the Slim to the Halo, and the Woolenex material in the Icon is my favorite because it’s super nice to hold. It’s fairly grippy and checks off all the other boxes.

Mous Limitless 6.0 ($65) and Clarity 3.0 ($70): I have no major qualms with these Mous cases and you also have a few designs to choose from, like the walnut or the speckled fabric. There’s a big gap for Camera Control, and I think it makes the case look awkward, but otherwise, there are clicky buttons, fun textures, strong MagSafe connectivity, and a spot to attach a lanyard.

Casetify Ripple ($62), Bounce ($82), and Ultra Bounce Case ($102): Casetify cases are very customizable but the company has been leaning hard into its Bounce case design, where it accentuates the corners of the case for improved shock absorption. It just kind of makes the whole thing bulky too. The Ripple case is a bit more reserved, with the Ultra Bounce going balls to the wall crazy with multiple attachment points if you want to affix a keychain carabiner or a crossbody strap. It’s expensive and a lot. But at least the cases are solid with reliable buttons, good MagSafe support, and raised edges around the display.

Moft Snap Case MOVAS With MagSafe for $50: This is a very simple case. The buttons aren’t the clickiest, and you get a big cutout for the Camera Control button. It’s fairly slim, with raised edges around the display. I prefer the company’s accessories to its case, and you don’t need a Moft case to use them. That said, you do need it if you want to pair it with the brand’s excellent phone lanyard.

Belkin ScreenForce InvisiGlass Privacy Treated Screen Protector for $35: You only get one screen protector, and Belkin doesn’t include an alcohol wipe to help clean your phone. (You do get a microfiber cloth and dust removal stickers.) The application process is OK; it leaves some wiggle room for error. That said, the privacy effect is great. No one can see your screen if they’re looking at it from an angle.

OtterBox Premium Pro Glass Blue Light Guard for $50: This one is easy to apply, but there’s little room for error if you’re not careful. I accidentally put mine askew. It’s made of 60 percent recycled materials, and OtterBox has infused it with blue-light filtering tech. To my eyes, I did not notice a difference when comparing it with another iPhone model that did not have a protector installed.

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September 20, 2024
How to Set Up Your New iPhone (2024)

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If you’re unfamiliar with the process, don’t worry, it’s very easy. During setup, you’ll be asked if you want to transfer your number from your old iPhone. Once you agree, it will take a minute or two to activate cellular data on your new iPhone, and you’re good to go. Keep in mind that your old physical SIM card will effectively stop working once you do this.

If you’re coming from an Android phone (with or without eSIM support), you will need to scan a QR code provided by your carrier. This might even be the case with an iPhone if you’re having trouble—just contact your carrier and they should be able to sort things out quickly.

Adding Other Accounts and Setting Preferences

Otherwise, it’s just a matter of personalizing your preferences. Want to add an email account? Go to Settings, Mail, Accounts, and choose Add Account. Want to fine-tune which apps refresh in the background (and drain your battery in the process)? Head to Settings, General, Background App Refresh, and toggle your little heart out. Want to save time on web forms? Go to Settings, Safari, Autofill, and preload your contact info. You can also turn on the battery percentage view by going to Settings, Battery, and toggling on Battery Percentage.

Your new device will be running iOS 18, which boasts some important new features, but you should change these privacy settings right away.

One last recommendation: Get rid of the clutter. iOS now lets you delete Apple’s many, many stock apps. Do it! It feels great, I promise. We even have tips on how to customize your iPhone’s home screens. Oh, and while you’re digging around in Apple’s software, go to Settings and then Focus to take advantage of the Do Not Disturb mode that lets you cut down on the constant stream of alerts.

Hitting these basics should get you started on the right path. When you’re settled, read our hidden iPhone tips and tricks for more goodies. And if you’re done with your old iPhone, read our instructions on how to factory reset it.

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September 20, 2024
How to Switch iPhones or iPads and Transfer Data (2024)

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Losing all the stuff on your phone was no big deal before the smartphone age. These days, it’s practically a Netflix horror movie plot. Wondering how to switch iPhones or iPads successfully, without losing anything in the process? If you’re looking to upgrade (these are the best iPhones to buy right now), it is possible to do so painlessly. Your photos, contacts, videos, message history, music, calendars, mail accounts, and many of your apps can all be transferred from your previous device to the new one. We’ve outlined the steps below.

Updated September 2024: We verified the instructions for the latest iPhones and made tweaks where necessary.

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Back Up Your Old iPhone or iPad

First, you need to back up your old device, which you can do via iCloud or your computer. We’ve broken down these steps below.

Using iCloud

Photograph: Apple

Make sure your device is connected to Wi-Fi. Then go into your iPhone or iPad’s settings and click your name at the top, which will take you to your Apple ID page. Select iCloud, choose iCloud Backup, toggle it on, click on Back Up Now, and let your device back up while it’s still on Wi-Fi. It might be worth setting your new device to automatically back up daily, but be aware that Apple only lets you store 5 GB for free. Even if you are out of iCloud storage, ever since iOS 15 Apple has allowed you to back up your data to iCloud to switch to a new iPhone.

Using a Mac

Plug your iPhone or iPad into your MacBook or iMac and open Finder. On the left, you should see your device come up under Locations. You can go through all your saved data, from music and podcasts to photos and files. If you saved your photos via iCloud, they won’t show up here unless you turn that feature off. Under the General tab, you can select Back Up Now. To save Health and Activity data, choose the option to encrypt your backup, or else it will not be saved; not saving unencrypted Health and Activity data is a default privacy feature. All iCloud backups are encrypted automatically.

Using a Windows Computer

You’ll need to download iTunes for Windows and plug your iPhone or iPad into your laptop or desktop via USB. Click the iPhone/iPad button at the top left of the iTunes window, then go to Summary > Back Up Now. Encrypt your backup by clicking Encrypt Local Backup and setting a password. Encrypting allows you to back up your Health and Activity data as well. To find your backups, click Edit > Preferences > Devices. Apple also goes through the steps here.

Swap SIMs or Activate eSIM

Photograph: Apple

Once you’re fully backed up, it’s time to sort your SIM card. If you’re in the US, the iPhone range no longer has a physical SIM card slot, so you must use an eSIM. If you have previously used an eSIM on an iPhone, you can activate it during setup by following the onscreen instructions. If you are switching from an older iPhone using a physical SIM card, you will be asked about transferring your number as a part of the Quick Start process described below. Apple has full eSIM setup instructions for different scenarios. Just know that once you go from a physical SIM to eSIM, your physical SIM card will no longer work.

To use a physical SIM card with an older iPhone, simply swap the SIM card from your old phone into the iPhone. You can also do this step after setting up your new iPhone, in case you don’t want to miss any calls or messages during the process. Lightly pushing a SIM tool or paper clip into the SIM tray hole will help you open it up. The SIM card has one sloped side, which you can line up on the SIM tray of your new iPhone.

Turn On Your New Device

We recommend fully charging both your old device and your new iPhone before you begin, and keep a charger handy just in case. You are ready to turn on the new device. The next part depends on the version of iOS or iPadOS your old device is running.

Note: If you’re using the Google Authenticator app (or any other two-factor authenticator app), be careful not to delete this app on your old iPhone until you have moved your accounts across to the new one, or you may lose access. Here are Google’s instructions for transferring Authenticator codes to a new phone.

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September 20, 2024
The iPhone 16’s Battery Is Easier to Replace, Finally

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This only affects new smartphones launching in the EU after June 2025, which means the iPhone 16 does not have to adhere to this law. The regulation doesn’t just touch on batteries though. Manufacturers need to sell critical spare parts for 7 years and offer at least 5 years of software updates. These laws often influence other regions, hence why Apple is likely testing this battery replacement process in its latest phone. It’s unclear if the new adhesive would be fully compliant with the EU’s regulations.

“The point of the legislation is that it won’t most likely require [Apple] to completely change the design of the product,” says Ugo Vallauri, codirector of The Restart Project and a founding member of the Right to Repair Europe coalition. “As long as they can supply the spare part as well as the tools needed to perform the repair and it can be performed by a generalist person—someone with some level of competence—they would not need to change much further, which can be potentially be seen as a weakness of the legislation. We will see what happens in that respect.”

Matching Game

But easier battery replacements are just one part of the story. Apple is notorious for “parts pairing,” the policy where it uses software to identify and approve parts. Apple will disable certain features if it finds the part wasn’t sourced from Apple’s official channels—even if the part comes directly from another iPhone. For example, as iFixit’s website says, if you replace your iPhone’s screen with a genuine but second-hand part, your device will lose access to Apple’s True Tone and auto-brightness features, even though the screen will otherwise function normally. You may also see warning messages for replaced parts that Apple cannot identify.

New laws in Oregon and Colorado prohibit the practice of parts pairing to discriminate against otherwise compatible parts, and Apple earlier this year said it would expand repair options to support used genuine parts starting this fall. That now applies to the Face ID sensor in the TrueDepth selfie camera—you can now swap this component from one unit to another without compromising security, safety, and privacy, according to Apple.

Apple also says now if you use a third-party part that isn’t available in its cloud-based calibration servers, the phone will try to activate the part and make it work to its full capability. It will also show the repair history of the device within Settings and list which parts have been replaced. Any used Apple parts will now be able to be calibrated after you install them, and these and will appear as “used” parts in the device’s repair history. That means features like True Tone will finally be enabled for third-party displays, and you’ll be able to see health data for third-party batteries. The front camera and lidar scanner will also stay operational if the module is replaced.

“I’ve always felt like the goal of right to repair is to create the incentive for these manufacturers, who are the ones good at making stuff, to prioritize or at least incorporate repairability into their objectives,” says Nathan Proctor, senior director of the Campaign for the Right to Repair at Public Interest Research Group (PIRG). “And once they do, they are actually coming up with new ways to make things easier to fix in ways I couldn’t have predicted or thought up. It’s exciting to see Apple engineers coming up with solutions for making things more fixable.”

Lock Step

Photograph: Apple

But there’s a new concern on the horizon with iOS 18 rolling out to Apple devices: Activation Lock. You might be familiar with this if you have erased an iPhone in the past but forgot to remove your Apple account details, essentially locking a new owner out from the device unless they have your password. In iOS 18, this Activation Lock feature now extends to iPhone parts. The idea is that this will deter thieves from stealing iPhones to sell parts. If the iPhone detects that a used part has been installed, it will ask for the original part owner’s Apple account password.

Proctor says the number one complaint he’s heard from device refurbishers is around Activation Lock—these companies have devices legally acquired from donations or recycling programs, but they cannot do anything to unlock the phone. (Apple has ways to bypass Activation Lock if you have proof of purchase documentation.)

“We need a way to verifiably say this is not a stolen part,” Proctor says. “I really respect and appreciate and understand the value of the way Activation Lock thwarts theft, but there’s got to be some middle ground where a reputable recycler doesn’t have to shred working parts and working phones. It’s ridiculous. It has the potential to undermine any environmental gains from all the other stuff that they’re doing.”

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September 19, 2024
Apple iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max Review: Smarter iPhones

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Creating summaries seems to be a thing everyone wants to do with AI, and Apple Intelligence is ready to do the same. You can have your emails summarized, messages summarized, and even your notifications from third-party apps summarized. Some of this can be handy, like when the Mail app calls out an urgent-sounding email in its summary, which I would have missed had I just glanced at the giant collection of emails. But more often than not I just swipe away the summary and dive into all the notifications.

Speaking of, there’s a summarize feature built into Safari, but you have to put the web page into Reader mode. It’s these kinds of things that make it hard to find these smart features and remember that they exist. At the very least, I was able to summarize an 11,000-word story and get the gist of it when I didn’t have time to sit down and read it. (Sorry.) I’ll forgive you if you summarize this review.

Arguably the most helpful Apple Intelligence features for me as a journalist who attends multiple briefings a month are the new transcription tools in the Notes, Voice Memos app, and even in the Phone app. Hit record in Voice Memos and Notes and the apps will transcribe conversations in real time! If you’re on a phone call, tap the record button and after both parties are notified, it will start recording the call, and you’ll get a transcription saved to your Notes app.

For all of these, much depends on the microphone quality for the person on the other end. Either way, it’s certainly better than no transcription at all. It’s too bad there are no speaker labels, like on Google’s Recorder app. You also can’t search these recordings to find a specific quote. (Technically, you can if you add the transcript to your note in the Notes app, but you cannot jump to that part of the audio recording once you find it.)

The Photos app is getting an Apple Intelligence infusion too, and the highlight here is the Clean Up feature. Just like with Google’s Pixel phones that debuted Magic Eraser more than three years ago, you can now delete unwanted objects in the background of your iPhone photos. This works pretty well in my experience, though I’m a little surprised Apple gives you so much freedom to erase anything. I completely erased my eye from existence in a selfie. I erased all my fingers off my hand. (Google’s feature doesn’t let you erase parts of a person’s face.)

Next, I erased my mug, which was in front of my face as I went for a sip, and Clean Up tried to generate the rest of my face that was previously hidden to some horrifying results. (For what it’s worth, I tried this on the Pixel 9 and the results were just as bad, though Google did give me more options.) As my coworker said in Slack, “They both seem to have been trained on images of Bugs Bunny.”

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September 18, 2024
Apple’s New Passwords App May Solve Your Login Nightmares

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Apple’s latest iPhone software update, iOS 18, arrives today and includes a new app: Passwords. For the first time, Apple is taking your phone’s ability to save login details and putting them in a standalone app. It could help improve millions of people’s terrible passwords.

After years of being told you should create unique, strong passwords for every website and app you use, you probably fall into one of two camps: people that are fully signed up to the password manager life, or those still using “123456” for every other website.

Apple’s new encrypted Passwords app is automatically included with iOS 18, and is a public-facing evolution of its Keychain and password-saving capabilities. The Keychain, which has existed for more than a decade, no longer has as prominent a home in the iPhone’s settings, and details previously saved there are being moved to the new app.

The launch of the password manager app, which will also be available on macOS Sequoia and iPadOS 18, may help improve people’s relationships with their passwords but also could, to varying degrees, challenge existing password managers.

“This move makes the app more visible to lay users and informs them about this secure method to store and manage passwords,” says Talal Haj Bakry and Tommy Mysk from security company Mysk. “You have a default password manager preinstalled on your device [that] provides end-to-end encryption when syncing data across devices.”

New Passwords

The Passwords app has a pretty barebones design. Six different tiles are presented when you open the app on an iPhone: All, Passkeys, Codes, Wi-Fi, Security, and Deleted. These are essentially the main functions of the app, allowing you to save each type of data within their relevant sections. The security section includes check-ups allowing weak and exposed passwords to be identified.

“This will definitely boost the adoption of this preinstalled app and bolster user security,” Bakry and Mysk say. They add that it presents the saved data “in a more organized way than the Settings app.”

Apple says the Passwords app uses end-to-end encryption to save your details, meaning nobody, not even Apple, knows what you have saved. Within the app, you can search for login details to your entries and set up groups to share passwords with other people.

Your saved login details are synced across Apple devices using iCloud, meaning the encrypted data is shared with Apple’s cloud servers and available on all of your Apple devices. Within Apple’s settings, you can turn off syncing passwords on a specific device. The app is locked using Face ID.

When using the Passwords app, any details you have previously saved in Keychain or AutoFill will be moved to the new location. This includes if you have used the Sign in with Apple login system on any websites or apps. It is unclear why Apple has decided to spin its Keychain system into a fully fledged password manager now, although the company has been building out the individual features over a number of years. (Apple has not responded to WIRED’s request for comment at the time of writing.)

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September 16, 2024