Stored Passwords Missing After iOS 18/18.2 Update? Here’s How to Recover Them

iPhones offer a built-in password manager that makes it easy to fetch credentials and securely log in to apps and websites using Face ID. While it’s reliable for the most part, there’s a chance that your stored passwords might go missing after installing the recent iOS 18.2 update. But does it mean you’ll be locked out of your accounts? Of course not. This guide will show you how to recover your credentials.

Where Have My Stored Passwords Gone on iOS 18.2?

In order to streamline access, all your credentials have been moved to a dedicated Passwords app on iOS 18. If you can’t find anything in there, there are a bunch of reasons why this might happen. You may have encountered a bug in iOS, or there may be an issue with your Apple Account. There’s also a chance that your Keychain and AutoFill settings are misconfigured or you’ve mistakenly deleted the passwords.

How to Fix Stored Passwords Missing on iOS 18.2

1. Make Sure iCloud Keychain is Enabled

2. Check the Recently Deleted Folder

It’s worth checking the recently deleted folder to see if you can recover your passwords. You might have mistakenly deleted a few passwords and forgot about them. Here’s how you can do this on your iPhone:

1. Locate and open the Passwords app on your iPhone.
2. Select the Deleted folder and check for your missing passwords.
   
3. If you see your missing passwords, tap the Select button in the top-right corner.
4. Select the passwords you want to restore and hit Recover in the bottom-left corner.
   

3. Try Force Restarting Your iPhone

You can run into all sorts of issues due to temporary glitches in iOS. In most cases, you can resolve such glitches by force restarting your iPhone. This action will reload the operating system and app processes.

1. Quickly press and release the Volume Up button.
2. Quickly press and release the Volume Down button.
3. Then, hold the Side button until you see the Apple logo.
   
   

4. Check the AutoFill Settings on Your iPhone

AutoFill allows you to automatically fill in saved credentials when logging in to apps and websites. If this feature fails to work as expected, it can seem like your saved passwords have vanished. To make sure this isn’t the case with you, check the AutoFill setting on your iPhone, as explained in these steps:

1. Open the Settings app on your iPhone and go to General.
   
2. Then, select the option that says AutoFill & Passwords.
3. Enable the toggle next to the password manager you use.
   

5. Try Re-logging to Your Apple Account

Synchronization issues between your Apple Account and iPhone may cause your stored credentials to go missing. You should re-login to your Apple Account to fix such issues and re-download your data.

1. Launch the Settings app on your iPhone.
2. Tap the Apple Account banner with your name.
   
3. Scroll down to the bottom of the page and tap the Sign Out button.
4. Enter your Apple Account password to turn off Find My and tap Turn Off.
   
5. Leave the toggles unchanged and tap Sign Out in the top-right corner.
6. Tap Sign Out again to confirm your action and wait for a few seconds.
   
7. Now, tap the Apple Account banner and select a suitable option to re-login.
   
8. Once you’ve logged in, check if your credentials have reappeared.

6. Reinstall the Passwords app on Your iPhone

You won’t be able to access your saved credentials if the Passwords app on your iPhone is experiencing unexpected glitches. In such cases, you should reinstall the app and see if that helps you regain access.

1. Tap and hold the Passwords app on your iPhone.
2. Select Remove App from the resulting content menu.
   
3. Select Delete App and hit Delete to confirm the action.
   
4. Then, open the App Store and navigate to the search tab.
5. Search for the Passwords app and tap the blue cloud icon next to it.
   
6. Finally, open the app and check if your passwords have reappeared.

7. Install the Most Recent Version of iOS

In some cases, issues can crop up due to underlying bugs in iOS 18.2. Check if Apple has rolled out a fresh software update with the relevant bug fixes to mitigate the problem, and install it on your iPhone.

1. Open the Settings app and navigate to General.
   
2. Tap Software Update and wait for your iPhone to check for updates.
3. If a new iOS update is available, tap on Update Now (or Install Now).
   
4. Enter your iPhone’s Passcode and Agree to the terms and conditions.