Personal technology
iBiz may not win the AI race, but analysts say it focuses on features people can actually use.
Apple says its next-generation operating system will allow users to reset their weak and compromised passwords with a single tap.
The updates to iOS 27, announced at Tim Cook’s last Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) this week, introduce a significant change to the way users manage their passwords.
“By building in the ability to warn users about weak and compromised passwords, Passwords can now automatically fix these with one tap for users,” Apple said Monday.
“Using Apple Intelligence and Safari to take action on behalf of the user as an agency, passwords log in through websites and upgrade their accounts to stronger passwords.”
iGadget-maker’s existing password manager already flags passwords that have been included in previous data breaches.
However, current passwords require users to manually update affected accounts and do not provide a way to replace multiple compromised credentials at once.
Selecting one of those alerts usually takes users to the relevant account page where they must manually complete a password change.
The new update is designed to eliminate that legwork, with iOS 27 automatically navigating to supported websites and updating accounts eligible for strong passwords after user approval.
Of course, in the very brief segment of the video where the new capability was announced, the feature worked flawlessly. However, in practice, it remains to be seen how effective passwords will be in agentically navigating the login processes of different websites on behalf of users, especially if MFA is also set on the account.
For those of you who remember a story Register The (in)security of AI-generated passwords was discussed earlier this year, don’t worry.
Apple’s Passwords app creates strong passwords by default — “strong” and takes centuries to crack, according to NordPass’s online password checker.
Research from security firm Irregular from February looked at scenarios where users were querying LLM chatbots for password ideas.
Siri State
As predicted by many, this year’s WWDC put Siri, now known as Siri AI, front and center as Apple made good on promises it made two years ago.
It announced Apple Intelligence in 2024, but the supply is short on every count.
The researchers spoke Register After Monday’s event, AI leaders were optimistic about what they saw, but described Apple’s ability to deliver value to developers and users in its second role as a reliability test.
In addition to agentive password-fixing tricks, the company soon announced minor AI-enabled updates to iOS 27 powered by Apple Foundation models developed in collaboration with Google and its Gemini technology.
Individually, these features aren’t revolutionary, such as Safari’s Notify Me, which allows users to monitor specific web pages using natural language by invoking Apple Intelligence to create shortcuts or Safari extensions.
They are not the type of features that are poised to light up the AI industry. But for some, winning the AI race is less about coming up with the biggest, baddest model to market first; It is the most effective use of AI.
“Rebuilt from the ground up, Apple strives to make AI feel native, effective and invisible in the devices people already use every day,” said Francisco Geronimo, IDC VP of Client Devices.
“This is important because a successful AI experience for consumers won’t be noisy or technologically complex. It will understand context, respect privacy, work reliably across applications and reduce friction without forcing users to change behavior.”
Apple’s iOS 27 will be launched to the wider public in the fall, while developers can get their hands on the beta version now.
It doesn’t come with the new dedicated Siri AI app. You have to join the waiting list for that. ®
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