Apple could make iCloud sign-ins easier with Face ID and Touch ID

Face ID
Image credit: Apple (Image credit: Apple)

Signing into the iCloud website may soon get a lot simpler from an iPhone, iPad or Mac browser, with Apple working on bringing biometric login support to the service in iOS 13, iPadOS and macOS Catalina.

According to 9to5Mac, testers who are already using beta versions of Apple's upcoming operating systems now have the ability to sign into iCloud.com via Touch ID and Face ID, adding an additional level of convenience to the login process. 

A pop-up window on the Cupertino company's new beta.icloud.com reportedly offers beta users on compatible devices the ability to sign-in via Touch ID or Face ID without the need for two-factor authentication – makes sense, given that Apple's biometric security is far stronger than a manually typed-out password.

According to 9to5Mac, the new biometric sign-in method is likely connected to the tech giant's upcoming Sign In with Apple tool, which is currently in beta and is scheduled to publicly launch in September. The tool is said to make it "easy for users to sign in to your apps and websites using their Apple ID."

Apple has been pushing for tougher online privacy measures for years now, following Facebook's Cambridge Analytica scandal and its own iCloud breach from 2014, and bringing biometric security to iCloud seems like a good idea from where we're standing.

Stephen Lambrechts
Senior Journalist, Phones and Entertainment

Stephen primarily covers phones and entertainment for TechRadar's Australian team, and has written professionally across the categories of tech, film, television and gaming in both print and online for over a decade. He's obsessed with smartphones, televisions, consoles and gaming PCs, and has a deep-seated desire to consume all forms of media at the highest quality possible. 

He's also likely to talk a person’s ear off at the mere mention of Android, cats, retro sneaker releases, travelling and physical media, such as vinyl and boutique Blu-ray releases. Right now, he's most excited about QD-OLED technology, The Batman and Hellblade 2: Senua's Saga.

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