Third-Party Apps Accessing iCloud Will Soon Require Unique Passwords

In an email to users, Apple today announced that it will start requiring app-specific unique passwords for third-party apps that have to access iCloud data. This change won’t go into effect until next month. Users will need to create app-specific passwords for third-party apps like Microsoft Outlook, Mozilla Thunderbird, and others if those apps have to access iCloud data.

If users are already signed into a third-party app using their primary Apple ID, they will be signed automatically when this change takes effect. They will then need to generate an app-specific password and sign in again.

Generating an app-specific password first requires turning on two-factor authentication for the Apple ID then heading to Security in the Apple ID account page and going to App-Specific Passwords.

Not that it’s not already possible to create unique passwords for third-party apps, Apple is going to make this mandatory starting June 15th. So if users don’t generate one by then, they will be automatically signed out of all third-party apps that they are signed into using their primary Apple ID.

While some might see this as an inconvenience, Apple is looking out for its users here, as making unique passwords mandatory for third-party apps will protect people against their primarily Apple ID credentials being stolen.

Adnan Farooqui
Categories: Apple
Tags: Apple ID, Apps