Apple Testing Face ID, Touch ID Login Support for iCloud for iOS 13, macOS Catalina

Apple is testing new sign-in options for iCloud.

According to a new report from 9to5Mac, Apple is currently testing out new sign-in options for iCloud with its as-yet-unreleased operating systems, with support for both Face ID and Touch ID. It only works if you’re running one of the OS betas and you access iCloud via the beta.icloud.com URL in Safari.

Users who visit beta.icloud.com on either their beta-equipped device or on their desktop will see a popup asking if the user would like to use either of those systems and then proceeds to log them in without requiring two-factor authentication. It seems as though it would be a convenient and logical step for Apple, given that users can already unlock their devices and make purchases with Apple Pay using either system.

If a user is already running their device on beta, they will be automatically redirected to beta.icloud.com when attempting to visit iCloud.com. If a user isn’t running the beta, they can try the feature by manually entering the URL into their address bar, but the user must be running iOS 13, iPadOS 13, or macOS Catalina to do so.



While the feature is convenient, it could be Apple testing its plans for “Sign in with Apple” — a feature announced earlier this year at WWDC that lets users sign up for apps and websites without volunteering an email address. Instead, Apple will make a throwaway one for you every time, and forward mail on until you decide to cancel.

Although it’s not certain just when this iCloud update goes live for the public, its dependence on this year’s round of OS updates suggests that it’ll be available around September.