Google just announced several updates to its Password Manager service in a blog post (opens in a new tab). Google has been working for some time to compete the best password managers but often lacked features that other managers offered. With this latest update, Google hopes to put its platform above third-party options.
Google Password Manager: new features
The biggest update coming with this update is the ability to add passwords directly to the app. Previously, users had to add their password when Google prompted them to save their password after they had already logged in to a web page. Now users can simply go to the password manager and manually add passwords for their most commonly used logins.
Additionally, Google announced that Android users can create a shortcut for their home screen that lets them launch Google Password Manager instantly. iOS users also get something. Google will now allow iPhone users to generate passwords for their iOS apps when you set Chrome as the autofill provider.
Google Password Manager: is it consistent on all devices?
Google says that with these new updates, users will get “a simplified and unified management experience that’s identical across Chrome and Android settings.” While that may change, as of this writing, that’s not quite the case.
Google Chrome password managers for Windows 10 and Android are very similar, but with one notable exception. The Chrome Password Manager on PC will not allow you to manually add passwords from the Google Password Manager site. Instead, users need to go to chrome://settings/passwords, where they can then manually add as many passwords as they want.
Google Password Manager: How to add a password on Chrome for Windows 10
- Go to chrome://settings/passwords
- Scroll down to Saved passwords and select Add
- Enter the URL, username and password for the password you want to add
- Click save
And that’s all. The password will now appear in your list of saved passwords on all your devices.
Google Password Manager: How to Add Password on Android
You need to go through a few steps to access Google Password Manager. But once you’re actually in Google Password Manager on Android, the process is very simple. There will be a “+” icon next to your saved passwords. Just tap this icon and enter the login details you want to save.
You can make accessing Google Password Manager even easier on Android by setting up a shortcut on your phone’s home screen. To add this shortcut, click the gear icon in the upper right corner of Password Manager. This will open your settings for Password Manager, and you’ll see a section that lets you add a shortcut. Just tap it, and you’re done.
Until Google releases a standalone application for Password Manager, it will be difficult to justify its use over a third-party application. Personally, I use Bitwarden, which has the best free tier of all password managers. However, it’s nice to see Google focusing on this important aspect of digital security.
