iPhone Passwords: a 3-Minute Security Check

Your iPhone already knows which of your saved passwords are a problem. It just does not shout about it. Three minutes in the Passwords app tells you which accounts to fix first.

On iOS 18 and later, open the Passwords app. On older versions, go to Settings > Passwords. You will need Face ID, Touch ID or your passcode.

1. Open the Security list

Tap Security. Your iPhone sorts the problems it found into groups. The ones that matter most are passwords that appeared in a data leak, passwords you reuse on more than one site, and passwords that are easy to guess.

2. Fix leaked passwords first

A password marked as found in a data leak is the most urgent. Someone else may already have it. Tap it, then tap Change Password on Website, and let your iPhone suggest a strong new one. If the same account also has two-factor sign-in available, turn it on while you are there.

3. Then the reused ones

If one site leaks a password you use in five places, all five are open. Start with email, banking and any account that can reset your other passwords. Give each one its own password. Your iPhone remembers them, so you do not have to.

4. Use passkeys where a site offers them

A passkey replaces the password with Face ID or Touch ID. There is nothing to reuse, nothing to type into a fake page, and nothing for a site to leak. When a site offers "Create a passkey", say yes.

5. Keep leak checks on

Make sure your iPhone is allowed to warn you about leaked passwords. In recent versions this is under Settings > Apps > Passwords (older versions: Settings > Passwords > Security Recommendations) as Detect Compromised Passwords. Leave it on, and come back to the Security list once a month.

What a VPN changes, and what it does not

A VPN encrypts the connection between your phone and the VPN server, so the people running a Wi-Fi network cannot see which sites and apps you talk to. It does not protect a password that has already leaked, and it does not stop you from typing a password into a fake page. That part is this check. More on the limits: What a VPN cannot protect you from.

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