A massive upgrade for password managers by Google Chrome

 Google Chrome now uses Android's default password manager 

Google is finally fixing a longstanding problem with the way third-party password managers work within the Android version of Chrome. In an update coming next month, Google will enable native auto fill for third-party password manager apps like Dashlane and 1Password in the Chrome app on Android. According to the reports available, the people responsible for helping protect the US government from cyberattacks, effective passwords should be having three things: long, random and unique per site. Unfortunately, that's a tough guideline to stick to when you probably have 20 or more usernames to remember. Password managers can help, but until now, Chrome on Android hasn't allowed third-party managers to automatically and natively fill in the various fields of a form.

The update was announced in a post to Google’s Android Developers Blog and will hopefully alleviate several issues with the way such password managers work with the app currently. Current issues includes “showing duplicate suggestions from Google and a third party”, and “janky page scrolling” when using third party password managers. This stems from the password manager having to use a “compatibility mode” when interacting with Chrome, even when set as the Android phone’s system default in settings. This causes glitching that isn’t present on Safari or even Chrome for iOS. Don't misunderstand; third-party password managers do work with Android (you just have to set it up through system settings). However, they don't auto fill unless set to compatibility mode in Chrome. Despite the name, compatibility mode isn't always compatible. generally it resulted in "potentially duplicate suggestions." An update is on the way which will eliminate that requirement and make it possible to use your password manager of choice without jumping through hoops to make it work.

The forthcoming update will, in turn, enable third party password managers to natively auto fill passwords and passkeys, as well as other details including addresses and payment information. Auto fill will be enabled for third party password managers. You can give it a whirl yourself in Chrome 131, the current beta. The stable launch of this beta, along with the implementation of this feature, is expected on 12 Nov. Although the date hasn't yet been specified, Google says that compatibility mode will be removed from Chrome sometime in early 2025. This fix will hopefully put an end to the issues. But if you’d rather check for yourself you can test the new third party password manager integration by installing a beta version of the upcoming Chrome 131 update from the Google Play store and following these instructions:-

First, head to the Settings app and select the Passwords, passkeys and accounts tab, and tap the Change button underneath the currently selected service. Select a new third party service.

This is where it gets a bit technical, open the Chrome app and paste the following into the URL bar:- chrome://flags#enable-autofill-virtual-view-structure

Set the flag that appears to Enabled, then restart Chrome. Head to Chrome’s Settings and select Auto fill services, select Auto fill using another service, and then restart Chrome again.

Once you're on Chrome 131, Google says that you will need to select Auto fill using another service in the Chrome settings to avoid an interruption in service. This update follows a string of other changes to the Chrome user experience, including an official dark mode, biometric security and major accessibility upgrades. Chrome has remained one of the most-used and most-popular browsers for years, but now there is a lot more competition with browsers like Firefox, Opera, Brave and many more. It's pretty clear Google is trying to improve the overall Chrome experience and hold onto its grasp of the market. But you should now have access to smoother auto fill for your third party password manager. The stable version of Chrome 131 would be released to all users soon.