Yes, I can’t believe we didn’t include this back then! I don’t recall the reason why, but it’s an obvious candidate for an upgrade to the New Way™.
I am counting on this to allow Premium members of my site to access support PM system, similar to the one used here for hosted customers but locked down. There is only one of me and I need to keep down the noise! 
For now I am relieved to have the plugin option. I’ve tested it and it works!