iCloud is an essential Apple service that iOS users regularly use and it is about to get a significant update.
According to MacRumors, Apple is testing a new way of signing into iCloud using biometric means.
A tipster told the publication that users running a beta version of iOS 13, iPad OS 13 and MacOS Catalina could sign in with their Apple ID using Face ID or Touch ID.
The above screenshot was taken in Safari on an iPad Pro which was running the latest iPad OS 13 Public Beta.
On that beta, when you visit iCloud, you are redirected to beta.icloud.com which prompts to you sign in to the site using the Apple ID associated with the device. When you tap ‘continue’, you are automatically signed into your account by activating the iPad Pro’s Face ID, which means no password input is necessary.
On devices with Touch ID, you experience a similar sign-in process where you use your fingerprint to authenticate without requiring two factor authentication.
This feature is incredibly useful in several ways. People really don’t like inputting passwords and the idea of leveraging on the secure biometric systems Apple devices to sign in securely is great.
This means that if this is effected in the final versions of iPad OS, iOS 13 and MacOS, people with iPad Pros, iPhone XS, iPhone X, iPhone XR, Macbook Airs and Macbook Pros plus older iOS devices with Touch ID will login to iCloud easily and securely.
This test also comes after they announced Sign with Apple during WWDC where they touted it as a more secure alternative to similar services offered by Google and Facebook. Sign in with Apple generates random email addresses and hides the user’s email address while signing app and it was a key selling point for it.
