Google Chrome for Android is reportedly adding support for third-party password managers

Google Chrome for Android is reportedly adding support for third-party password managers. Currently, the browser only supports autofilling passwords from Google Password Manager, its own service. As a result, Android users who prefer and use other password managers cannot use the app’s saved data to log into their browser accounts. It looks like the tech giant is already addressing this pain point by letting users choose which third-party service they want. It should be noted that the Google Chrome desktop app recently upgraded the standard version of the Safe Browsing feature with a real-time protection protocol.

Spotted by tipster @Leopeva64 at X (formerly known as Twitter) in the stable version of Chrome for Android, the feature allows users to autofill passwords from their preferred password manager. He said: “This feature is now live and if you select the ‘Use other providers’ option, Chrome no longer shows you suggestions from its password manager.” The tipster first highlighted the feature in November 2023, when it was still under construction.

The feature is now available in Chrome Stable, Beta, and Canary builds, and users with these builds have immediate access to it. However, they will need to enable an experimental flag first. According to a report from Android Authority, can be enabled at chrome://flags/#enable-autofill-virtual-view-structure. Once enabled, the setting will appear. Users can then go to Chrome settings > Autofill options and select Use other providers. Once the setting is changed, Google will no longer display its password suggestions in the login text fields.

This setting should automatically prompt Chrome to fire up the default password manager that the user has set for their Android smartphone. To change the default password manager, users can go to Android settings and click on Passwords and accounts > Passwords, Access Keys and Data Services and select a password manager of your choice.

Something to note here is that while the feature was running, the report found a bug where entering a new password didn’t prompt an option to save it, even though the flag was enabled. This can be a problem for users who want to switch their password manager immediately. It looks like Google is still fine-tuning the feature before its public release.