The new extension is for people who own an iPhone or iPad but use a Windows 10 PC.
Image: Getty Images/iStockphotoApple has released a new extension for Chrome that helps Windows 10 users save passwords created in Chrome to Apple’s iCloud Keychain password manager.
The new extension is for people who own an iPhone or iPad but use a Windows 10 PC – who most likely use Chrome – instead of a macOS device with Safari.
iCloud Keychain helps Safari users remember usernames and passwords, credit cards, and Wi-Fi passwords created on that browser. That’s fine for iPhone owners who also use a Mac and rely on Safari for cross-device password management, but Apple’s new extension addresses the population who have an iPhone or iPad but use a Windows 10 PC.
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“iCloud Passwords is a Chrome extension for Windows users that allows you to use the same strong Safari passwords you create on your iPhone, iPad, or Mac when visiting websites in Chrome on your Windows PC,” Apple explains in its Chrome Web Store listing for the iCloud Passwords Chrome extension.
Apple’s Chrome extension also saves new passwords created in Chrome to the user’s iCloud Keychain, which makes them available to other Apple devices with the same Apple ID account.
The idea of this extension is appealing for iPhone and iPad owners who use Windows 10, but the extension appears to be broken for some users.
Launching the extension in Chrome merely presents six boxes that suggest a two-factor authentication code is required. But users report that nothing can be typed into the boxes.
There aren’t many reviews for Apple’s extension yet, but all of them report that the extension doesn’t work. Some are wondering whether Apple accidentally released a product that’s still in development.
Another password management option for iOS users would be to rely on Chrome’s built-in password manager for iOS, which lets iOS users autofill passwords saved in Chrome into other apps and browsers. And it works across devices.
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As noted by The Verge, Apple accidentally revealed the extension in the update for the iCloud for Windows 10 app. The release notes mentioned “Support for iCloud Passwords Chrome Extension”.
This note suggests that Apple’s iCloud for Windows 10 app is required for the Chrome extension to work.
Some users are wondering whether Apple accidentally released a product that’s still in development.
Image: Google