iCloud Keychain is a nice new addition to iOS 7, because it allows you to save username and password combinations to the cloud. This means that it’s possible to save login information for sites you frequent and auto login to those sites using the saved username and password info.
iCloud Keychain has been criticized by the tech press for being half baked. While that is certainly true—it has many opportunities for improvement and refinement—it’s better than nothing if you ask me.
Some have lamented about the fact that certain sites force passwords to go unsaved. Web sites have the option of requesting passwords not to be saved, and many sites—especially financial services like banks—have opted in to this. This feature, among other issues, is a thorn in the side of many iCloud Keychain users. Fortunately, it’s an issue that can solved with relative ease.
For example, if I try to log into wellsfargo.com, I’ll get a dialogue box notifying me that: Safari Will Not Save Your Password Because “wellsfargo.com” Requested Passwords Not Be Saved.
This is the error message you get on sites that opt out
Sadly, that dialogue box provides little to no information on how to fix this issue. The only option you’ll find is an “OK” button at the bottom of the message. I, and likely many others, have found this to be a very frustrating experience. I let this slide the first few times I encountered the message, but after a while, I decided that I had to do something about it.
That’s when I ventured into the Settings app and went to Safari’s preference panel. There, you’ll find a whole host of options related to iOS’s default browser. But focus your attention on the Passwords & AutoFill panel, because that’s where the toggle that solves this issue can be found. Once there, you should see a toggle for “Always Allow” under the “Saved Passwords” section. Beneath Always Allow, you’ll notice a sentence that explains how this toggle works: Allow AutoFill even for websites that request passwords not be saved.
The Always Allow toggle is the key to fixing this issue
So there you have it. Once you enable this simple toggle, you’ll be able to go back to the website that refused to save passwords, and save your credentials in the iCloud Keychain. One thing to keep in mind is that you’ll need to clear your Cookies and Data via Settings > General > Safari in order to have that particular website prompt you to save passwords again.
The end result of the fix
It makes sense for Apple to give websites the option of opting out of iCloud Keychain from a security standpoint. Apple knows that many users don’t use passcodes, and it is feasible, but not advised, to have your critical login information saved to iCloud keychain without a passcode at all. Please, don’t be stupid; secure your iOS device with a passcode, especially if you opt to save sensitive information like banking passwords to iCloud Keychain.
Let me know if this article helped you alleviate some of your frustration with iCloud Keychain in the comment section below. For more information about Safari on iOS 7, be sure to take a look at our Ultimate Safari Guide.
