Feeling frustrated with those pesky 'magic link' sign-ins? You're not alone! Many of us are experiencing the annoyance of websites that ditch traditional passwords in favor of email-based sign-in links. Let's dive into why this is a problem and what, if anything, we can do about it.
In a recent rundown of iOS 26.2 updates, there was a misunderstanding regarding the Passwords app. The new feature allows you to manage websites where passwords aren't saved. However, the author was hoping for something different. The author, like many of us, wants a way to manage sites that exclusively use 'magic links' for sign-in, which is a growing trend.
For those unfamiliar, 'magic links' work like this: you enter your email, hit a button, and the site emails you a temporary link to click and sign in. The author despises this method because it's significantly slower than using saved passwords. Waiting for the email and clicking the link can take 15 seconds or more, while saved password autofill is practically instantaneous. This difference in speed is a major pain point.
And this is the part most people miss... When you create a new account using a 'magic link,' nothing gets saved in Apple Passwords. This can be problematic if you use multiple email addresses, as it becomes difficult to remember which one you used for a specific site. The author wished the Passwords app could save just the email address for these 'magic link' sites.
But here's where it gets controversial... The author found a workaround: manually creating an entry in Apple Passwords with the email address and a single-character password. This allows the email address to appear in the autofill suggestions in Safari, solving the memory problem. The author also suggests using an emoji like 🖕 as the password for such entries.
Ideally, the author envisions a feature where Passwords would prompt you to save your email address for 'magic link' sites and Safari would autocomplete it. While this might be a complex problem for Apple to solve, it would greatly improve the user experience.
So, why the shift towards 'magic links'? One reason is to combat password sharing, especially for subscription-based services. If there's no password, it's harder to share an account. For example, a subscription to a newsletter. It's much harder for someone to share their account with others.
Proponents of 'magic links' argue they're beneficial for users who don't use password managers. However, the author argues that those who use password managers shouldn't be penalized with a slower sign-in experience. When 'magic links' are the only option, everyone suffers.
What do you think? Do you find 'magic links' annoying? Do you have any workarounds of your own? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
