What you need to know
- Chrome for Android now supports non-Google password managers.
- Previously, users were forced to use Google’s password manager and Chrome’s autofill options.
- The new setting isn’t totally reliable, and is currently hidden.
Password managers are all but essential given the vast number of usernames and passwords we have to remember. But up until now, Chrome users have been restricted to using Google’s password manager to save all these details. For many, this limitation could be enough justification to use one of the other best Android browser options. Now, though, a hidden setting may be about to make Chrome a little more appealing.
Work on integrating third-party password managers with Chrome was first spotted in November 2023. Now, X user Leopeva64, the same person who spied that development, has noticed that the setting appears to have gone live on Chrome.
This means that users are no longer restricted to using Google’s password manager. But as noted in a report by Android Police, the feature is currently hidden, and in order to use it, you need to enable a specific Chrome flag – chrome://flags/#enable-autofill-virtual-view-structure – before the setting will become visible.
4 months ago I showed a new section in Chrome for Android that lets you use other providers to autofill passwords, this feature now works and if you choose the “Use other providers” option, Chrome no longer shows you suggestions from its password manager:https://t.co/Uvgqr181vs pic.twitter.com/leDXe2LhnxMarch 18, 2024
Once the feature has been activated, users can go to the Chrome settings menu, and under Autofill Options is the option to “Use other providers”. Selecting this option will automatically default to whatever password manager you have active in your Android settings.
Importantly though, there seems to be a good reason why this setting is currently hidden. According to Android Police, while using a non-Google password manager did work for populating passwords, there were issues with trying to save new passwords when entering them for the first time (although you can save them manually).
Other reports also suggest third-party password managers don’t always populate your saved usernames, which indicates the experience is far from polished. This would explain why you have so much trouble activating it at the moment.
There is no indication of when this feature might be made more publicly available. In the longer term, though, this could make life easier for anyone who prefers an alternative password manager to Google’s default.
