We’ve had the ability to AirDrop passwords since 2018. With the AutoFill feature in Apple’s Messages app, we can quickly share a saved password or contact details via iMessage or SMS on the iPhone and iPad.
In this guide, I’ll show you how to use the AutoFill feature to quickly share a password or Contact in messages without leaving the app.
How to Autofill to share a Password or Contact
To share contact information on iPhone or iPad:
- Open Messages
- Start a new chat or open an existing message
- Hold the text field at the bottom to share contact information, and choose AutoFill now. Select Contact choose the Contact you want to share and then hit a specific field like Phone or Email.
To Share a saved website or app password on an iPhone or iPad
- Open Messages
- Start a new chat or open an existing message
- Hold the text field and choose AutoFill. Now select Passwords and authorize access with Touch ID or Password.
Pick an item from the list of your saved passwords and click User Name, Password, or Verification Code to share that detail.
The selected information will be placed in the messages text field. If you need to add more text to clarify the content, you can do so, then hit send.
How Secure is Password Sharing
Due to its inherent vulnerability, the iMessage approach exposes passwords in plain text, making them accessible to anyone with access to either your or the recipient’s device. It’s as straightforward as opening the Messages chat to read or copy this sensitive information. For a more robust and secure way to share passwords, consider utilizing AirDrop.
Both methods come with their specific purposes and constraints.
While the iMessage method, although less secure, allows you to share passwords with anyone capable of receiving iMessage or SMS, the AirDrop method, on the contrary, offers a higher level of security but confines conveying to devices within Bluetooth range.
How to AirDrop Passwords between Devices
To AirDrop a saved password to a nearby device:
- Open Settings on your iPhone or iPad
- Tap Passwords
- Select the saved password you want to share
- Tap the Share icon
- Choose the Contact in the AirDrop menu to send the password.
Your AirDropped password will automatically be saved in the Settings app on the target device without being exposed as raw text. The recipient can now Auto-fill this password in the future.
Conclusion
In iOS and iPadOS 17, Apple has expanded the AutoFill feature, with quicker sharing of passwords and contact information in the Messages app. AutoFill in iOS 17 can automatically fill in one-time verification codes you receive in the Mail.
You can even automatically clear used verification codes, so you have to manually do that. AutoFill also works on PDFs, with forms and scanned documents allowing you to use your saved information from the Contacts app.
For those times you need to share your saved passwords with family and friends, Apple has you covered.
Create a trusted contact group and pick passwords to share. You can permanently remove a person from the group or update a password, and iOS 17 will keep shared passwords up to date for everyone in the group.
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