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iOS 18.4 gives Apple’s Passwords app a small but convenient new feature

iOS 18.4 beta 1 is now available, including for public beta users. And among its many changes, there’s a convenient feature enhancement to verification codes found in Apple’s Passwords app. Here are the details.

Countdown in iOS 18.4’s Passwords app shows when codes will expire and reset

As shared by Aaron Perris on X, Apple’s Passwords app got a welcome feature enhancement in the first iOS 18.4 beta.

Verification codes now offer a visual countdown timer to show you how long it will be until they expire and refresh.

By opening the Codes section of the app, you’ll see a new timer in the top-right corner. It’s a simple ring that fills in with green to visualize the time left on your current verification codes.

When the circle fills with green, all your codes with automatically expire and reset.

Top comment by Mike nelson

Liked by 6 people

Counter intuitive

All grey - fine lots of time

All green - all expired

Should be other way round to apples own uI

View all comments

You can also see this from the details view of a specific password entry. Any entry containing a verification code will now show the expiration timer alongside the current code.

As Perris notes, the feature is also included in macOS Sequoia 15.4 and even works inside Passwords’ Menu Bar app.

It’s a small change, but a nice one for an important security feature that already comes with a learning curve for users inexperienced with verification codes.

What do you think of this Passwords app change in iOS 18.4? Let us know in the comments.

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Avatar for Ryan Christoffel Ryan Christoffel

Ryan got his start in journalism as an Editor at MacStories, where he worked for four years covering Apple news, writing app reviews, and more. For two years he co-hosted the Adapt podcast on Relay FM, which focused entirely on the iPad. As a result, it should come as no surprise that his favorite Apple device is the iPad Pro.