Google on Thursday announced a slew of improvements to its password manager service aimed at creating a more consistent look and feel across different platforms.
Central to the changes is a “simplified and unified management experience that’s the same in Chrome and Android settings,” Ali Sarraf, Google Chrome product manager, said in a blog post.
The updates are also expected to automatically group multiple passwords for the same sites as well as introduce an option to manually add passwords. Although Google appears to be not ready yet to make Password Manager as a standalone app, users on Android can now add a shortcut to it on the homescreen.
In a related change on iOS, should users opt for Chrome as the default autofill provider, Password Manager comes with the ability to generate unique, strong passwords.
The built-in Password Checkup feature on Android is receiving an upgrade of its own too. Beyond checking for hacked credentials, it can further highlight weak and reused passwords à la Apple iOS. Google is also expanding the compromised password warnings to Chrome users across all operating systems.
Last but not least, Google is bringing a new “Touch-to-Login” to Chrome on Android that allows users to sign in to websites with a single tap after entering the credentials with autofill. It’s worth noting that Apple implemented a similar feature in Safari with iOS 12.2.
