What you need to know
- Google is preparing to bring better autofill integration on Chrome for Android for third-party password managers.
- A new flag found in Chrome 119 (Dev preview) is displaying a new "Autofill Option," giving users the choice of Google's own manager or others.
- Google started rolling out its new Credentials Manager earlier in November, which welcomes third-party password managers warmly.
Recent adventures through Google Chrome are shining a light on further integration with password managers.
As part of Chrome 119, the upcoming integration seems wrapped within a new chrome://flags/#enable-autofill-virtual-view-structure flag, as spotted by Leopeva64 on X (via Android Police). The user discovered that enabling such a flag forces a new "Autofill Options" button to appear in the settings of Chrome on Android.
The two following menu options include Default and "Use other providers." Regarding the former, Chrome will pull any saved information from Google Password Manager, passkeys, payment methods, and addresses when those respective fields are called upon. The latter involves any third-party managers and autofill services given permission through Android settings.
In Chrome for Android there is a new section called "Autofill Options" where you can choose whether to use Chrome or "other providers" to save and fill passwords, passkeys, payment methods, and addresses:https://t.co/CSspGsAiYO pic.twitter.com/DMsOZgKlbmNovember 12, 2023
Further testing with Chrome 119 hasn't shown any signs of such a feature working, and that's likely because Google has classified this as a "field trial." In Leopeva64's case, this was only visible through Chrome Dev, so many users probably won't be able to play around with this for the time being.
This closer integration is more to the benefit of third-party managers as it should take away a major grievance of needing to copy-paste your information. Currently, many third-party password managers aren't able to recognize when a user is interacting with a login page, and as a result, the convenience of autofill is out of the question. This should make it easier for users to have a more comfortable time when using an app that's not Google's own.
Due to how limited this new autofill option is, it's unclear when Google plans on rolling it out — but hopefully, it will arrive sooner rather than later.
Better integration with third-party services continues elsewhere for Google as it started rolling out its new Credentials Manager earlier this month. This app contains biometric authentication so users can sign into apps and sites using their fingerprint or face. Additionally, the new manager integrates well with third-party password managers.
Most recently, Google's plans to redesign its own Password Manager were spotted. The visual changes are breaking up the current home screen and giving the app three tabs: "Passwords," "Checkup," and "Settings."
