Apple acquires Firefox's iCloud password autofill extension and releases 'iCloud Passwords' for Firefox

It has been revealed that Apple has acquired iCloud Passwords for Firefox, a third-party password autofill extension developed for Firefox.

au2001/icloud-passwords-firefox: Firefox extension which lets you use your passwords stored on iCloud Keychain®.
https://github.com/au2001/icloud-passwords-firefox?tab=readme-ov-file#update-2024-12-04

Apple takes over third-party Apple Passwords autofill extension for Firefox - Ars Technica
https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2024/12/firefox-users-on-macos-can-finally-autofill-apple-passwords-in-their-browser/

Over the past few years, Apple has built password management features into iOS and macOS, such as 'automatic password generation' and 'password breach detection.' In 2024, Apple separated the password management function into a separate application called 'Passwords.' This puts Apple in direct competition with password management apps such as 1Password and Bitwarden.

Public beta version of iOS 18 released, Apple's original password app, home screen and control center customization, 'Photos' and 'Calculator' are revamped but Apple Intelligence is not included - GIGAZINE

One area where Apple's password management app lags behind its competitors is browser support. On macOS, Apple's browser Safari makes it easy to auto-fill passwords stored on your iPhone or Mac. However, on Windows, only an extension called ' iCloud Passwords ' was released for Chrome in 2023, which allows you to use Apple's password management function via iCloud. Although similar extensions are available for Microsoft Edge, which uses the same browser engine as Chrome, Chromium, browsers such as Firefox that use browser engines other than Chromium cannot use Apple's password management function.

However, it has been revealed that Apple has acquired a third-party extension called 'iCloud Passwords for Firefox' that was being developed for Firefox. The GitHub repository for 'iCloud Passwords for Firefox' was updated on December 4, 2024, announcing that the extension has become Apple's property, saying, 'The AMO (addons.mozilla.org) listing for this extension has been transferred to Apple. Apple is now the sole owner responsible for maintaining the unique and official iCloud Password extension.'

In addition, it was also revealed that Apple released the Firefox extension 'iCloud Passwords' on November 20, 2024. This extension supports password synchronization and auto-fill on macOS Sonoma and macOS Sequoia. However, at the time of writing, it does not support older versions of macOS or Firefox for OS such as Windows or Linux. When you install the extension on Firefox on a Mac that is synced with your iCloud account, you can sign in to your account simply by entering a 6-digit code that macOS automatically generates. As with the Chromium version of the extension, there is no need to re-sign in to your iCloud account separately.

iCloud Passwords – Get the Extension for 🦊 Firefox (en-US)
https://addons.mozilla.org/ja/firefox/addon/icloud-passwords/

Overseas technology media Ars Technica pointed out that 'Apple appears to have acquired iCloud Passwords for Firefox in order to release a Firefox version of iCloud Passwords.'