How to use iCloud Keychain on iPhone and iPad

The iCloud Keychain is the native password manager of iOS and macOS that allows you to save credentials on the web and use them with iPhone, iPad and Apple computers

Although not representing one of the "vital" indications on the front of the protection of personal data, using a different password for each account is considered as a "good practice" and, therefore, strongly recommended. In case of password theft on another account, at least you are sure that your other data are safe.

Of course, it is at least complex to be able to remember all the passwords of all the profiles that you have: between e-mail, social networks, online banking and dozens of other services, it would require a huge memory. At this point, password managers come into play: multiplatform software (they work via browser, on Windows PC and macOS, on Android and iOS smartphones) able to store, in a safe and secure way, all our credentials. And although the choice may be complex, most iPhone and iPad owners have a well-defined preference: iCloud Keychain.

What is iCloud Keychain

Introduced initially on Apple computers with the Mac OS 8 operating system and later also on iPhones starting from iOS 7, Keychain is the native password manager for all devices produced by the Cupertino company. Thanks to the integration with iCloud, the cloud storage and synchronization service developed by Apple engineers, iCloud Keychain allows you to save your passwords and username directly online and have them available on all devices that use the same Apple account (the one created to download apps and songs from iTunes and App Store, to be clear).

This way you can access your saved credentials from your PC, but also from your iPhone and iPad without having to save your password and username every time on all the devices you use.

How to activate iCloud Keychain on iPhone and iPad

To activate the Keychain on iPhone and iPad, and thus save the credentials of the accounts you use most, open the Settings app, click on the banner containing our Apple ID and then on iCloud. In the new menu, scroll down and, among the various items available, choose Keychain: to activate the iPhone password manager, simply turn the switch to the right. During configuration, the system will ask you to create a password - or a security code - specific for the Keychain: it will be used to activate the service on new devices and thus synchronize the credentials already saved in memory.

At this point, the iCloud Keychain will be activated automatically, asking if we want to save the username and password of the various services or autocomplete the respective fields every time we should connect to our email or Facebook profile.

How to access and recover password iCloud Keychain

Once entered, the credentials will be stored both on the cloud of the bitten apple, but also locally on the device. This allows you to go to see and recover passwords saved with the iCloud Keychain. In Settings scroll down and press on Safari: a new window will open where you'll go and look for the Password menu item: press on it, enter the phone's unlock code (or use Touch ID) and you'll access the list of all credentials saved and ready to be used with autocomplete. Pressing over individual items will give you access to the tab and, thus, the username and password combo.