Apple Passwords Is Now on Firefox (but Not for Windows Users)

Passwords, Apple's password management app introduced with the latest versions of iOS and macOS, now has a Firefox extension. If you're a Firefox user, you can use this browser extension to set up a seamless login experience using information stored in Apple Passwords. However, there's a catch-iCloud Passwords for Firefox only works on Macs that can run macOS Sonoma or newer. If you have an older Mac or a Windows device, you can't use this extension.

Setting up and using Passwords with Firefox

To use this extension, you don't need to do much. Just ensure that Firefox is installed and add the iCloud Passwords extension to the browser. With that, you can now log in to websites as usual, but without needing to use the Passwords app from the menu bar or the app itself.

Every time you try to log in, a small floating menu will appear below the forms for username and password, where you can just click the name of your login item and sign in to your favorite websites. This also works with sites where you've enabled two-factor authentication, i.e., where you need to enter a one-time password to complete the login process, as long as the login codes are saved in Apple Passwords.

It's great to see this extension working seamlessly with Firefox and that you don't need to configure anything extra to make it work. Even better, the extension works even when the Passwords app, or its menu bar counterpart, aren't running.

The limitations of iCloud Passwords for Firefox Credit: Pranay Parab

As much as I like how iCloud Passwords for Firefox works when logging in, I am disappointed with how it handles creating new accounts. When I tried making a new account on a website, this browser extension offered two choices-create a strong password in the Passwords app or open the page in Safari. This adds a bit of friction to the process and is exactly the kind of thing that pushes people away from using password managers. Ideally, Apple will update the extension to let you create accounts within Firefox itself.

It should also be noted that although I've had a smooth experience with iCloud Passwords for Firefox, others aren't too happy. According to user reviews for the Firefox extension, the extension doesn't always reliably autofill credentials. It's a similar story with iCloud Passwords for Chrome, which has many negative reviews.

The bigger problem here, though, is that Apple limits this extension to Firefox on Mac. As someone whose default browser is Firefox on both Windows and Mac, I find this decision frustrating. You can access your iCloud passwords on Windows thanks to the iCloud for Windows app, and I'd be really happy if this extension also supported that app (the Chrome and Edge extensions do). For now, only Apple's most up-to-date Mac users are getting that kind of treatment.