Moving your browser logins to a new manager just got ridiculously easy on Android

Switching to a different password manager is usually a pain because you have to jump through hoops to get it to work. The same has been true for those who use Google Password Manager. You usually had to fire up a computer, export an unencrypted CSV file, and pray that the formatting did not break halfway through.

Passkeys made that routine even worse because they simply would not transfer, leaving you stuck setting them up from scratch on every single website.

Well, it looks like Google has finally brought a solution to the problem on Android. The company has announced that it’s rolling out a native credential transfer tool that’s built straight into Android.

In a blog post, Jean-Pierre Pralle, an Android product manager, noted that “historically, moving your passwords meant downloading them into an unencrypted text file,” which left sensitive data completely exposed.

They also pointed out the passkey adoption problem because “passkeys couldn’t be transferred at all, so you’d have to recreate them across multiple sites and apps.”

With the new implementation, the system will automatically coordinate the whole exchange behind the scenes with just a few taps from your end. Plus, it won’t save any temporary files on your device, like you would have to do so when manually transferring passwords.

Instead, you can just fire up the new app, choose to pull credentials from your old vault, approve the transfer, and the OS will handle the handoff in seconds.

• Start the move: Open your new password manager app and choose the option to import or copy your passwords and passkeys from another provider. The password manager will then hand the task over to Android.
• Let Android securely coordinate the data transfer: Android will automatically detect existing password managers on your device and show you which you can import from.
• Review and authorize: Once you tap “Continue,” Android will bring you to your existing password manager to select, review, and authorize the transfer. Then your data will be quickly and securely transferred between the apps in just a few seconds.

Google says that this new feature works with Google Password Manager, 1Password, Bitwarden, and Dashlane. They also note that other providers are slated to join soon.

If you bounce between multiple browsers and vault apps on your phone, this quiet update removes the single biggest reason people hesitated to switch.

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