Although Apple released iCloud Passwords only for Chromium browsers—and it seems to work equally well in all the variants I’ve tried—the company has done nothing for Firefox users. However, an independent developer named Aurélien Garnier recently published a Firefox add-on also called iCloud Passwords, so that’s an option for those running Sonoma or recent versions of Windows—it doesn’t work for earlier versions of macOS. It’s not yet well-known, with only 716 users last I checked (versus 2 million for the iCloud Passwords Chrome extension), but I’ve installed it and verified that it works. Although I’m a little hesitant to recommend an independent add-on that interacts with a system-wide password store, it’s open source, and anyone can view its code on GitHub.
Those who have been dissuaded from using macOS 15 Sequoia’s Passwords app as their password manager because of a reliance on Firefox can now make the move with confidence: Apple has taken over the previously independent iCloud Passwords add-on for Firefox.
On 4 December 2024, iCloud Passwords for Firefox developer Aurélien Garnier updated the add-on’s README.md file on its GitHub repository with:
The AMO (addons.mozilla.org)listing of this extension was transferred to Apple Inc. They are now the sole owners in charge of maintaining their own official iCloud Passwords extension. This repository and source code are no longer linked in any way to it apart from historical reasons.
It remains unclear if Apple acquired the code or hired Garnier, although his LinkedIn profile suggests he remains a technical lead at the Web development agency Avicenne Studio in Paris.
I wouldn’t be surprised if Apple replaced this iCloud Passwords add-on with an official version; it could be that the company simply hasn’t gotten around to such a transition yet.
Regardless, it’s a positive move to see Apple extending its password management features to non-Apple browsers and platforms. Although the current iCloud Passwords add-on doesn’t work in Firefox for Windows, it seems likely that Apple will eventually add Windows support to match its iCloud Passwords extension for Chrome.
Well my wife has refused to use 1Password, and seems to rely on the password storage of her web browsers. I shall have to make an effort to get her to use Apple’s Passwords and this extension, Firefox being her main browser.
If she’s not using Safari, then why make such an effort?
Firefox’s password management is quite secure. If you create a reasonably secure primary password, then your local password database will be securely encrypted. Similarly, if you pick a reasonably secure password for your Mozilla account, then the database will be securely encrypted on the Mozilla server and in transit during sync operations.
They even have support for passkeys these days, should you want to use them.
The main reason would be that she does not only use Firefox, and sometimes opens Safari or Vivaldi (don’t ask me if there is a logical reason for which she chooses). If she saves passwords in one browser, they will not be available in other browsers. Unless, of course, she makes the browsers work with Apple’s Passwords app.
Disappointing that it took them until now, but better late than never I suppose, and it gives me options in case I ever decide to use it. Right now though the Strongbox native extension is more than sufficient and gives me a less stressful experience because I’m constantly clearing my browser state and that’s requiring the Passwords extension to pair over and over again. That having been said, Apple’s autofill logic is a bit more refined than Strongbox’s (though not quite as good as that of 1Password’s), so I’m glad I’ll be able to use it on all browsers soon. Hoping it makes it to Windows too.
That sounds like a matter of personal preference. I do the same thing, and yes, passwords saved in one app aren’t available in the others. I don’t see it as a problem for myself. Your wife may have a similar opinion.
Not directly, of course, but they still are viewable and copyable, so if the need is only occasional, she would have the option of manually copying/pasting the password from Firefox into another browser. (I realize that syncing all compatible browsers across iCloud would be simpler.)
This announcement interested me greatly, as I naturally would like the added convenience of easier access to my iCloud passwords when using Firefox. HOWEVER, on the Mozilla/Firefox page for this add-on, there are several reviews saying that the add-on has problems, including slowing down or possibly breaking some websites — and a more recent review (only 4 hours old as I type this comment) says that features have been removed and the add-on apparently displays a message that recommends switching to the Chrome or Edge browsers. I cannot confirm this, as I am cautious and have no intention of installing this add-on until there are plenty of positive reports about it. Perhaps some of you would be kind enough to report back here about your experience if you install it in Firefox on your Mac.
I had it installed before, so I checked with a login to the TidBITS site, which worked fine. Then I updated it—there was an update today, I think—and it also worked fine. The difference seemed to be in the display of the suggested passwords, which looks more like Apple’s Chrome extension.
So, in short, I see no reason not to install it if you use Firefox and Apple Passwords. But I don’t really use Firefox, so I can’t comment on if it has other side effects.
