Android Adds On-Device Login Migration Between Password Managers

The feature addresses a problem created by the growing use of longer, more complex passwords. Remembering strings of numbers, letters, and special characters has become nearly impossible for many users, and password managers provide a way to store that information. Moving from one login organizer to another, however, has often meant entering credentials by hand or relying on an export file.

Google designed the new login transfer process to happen entirely on the phone, according to Ars Technica. That means users need the corresponding apps installed, with their credentials synced, before starting the move. The transfer is not described as a web-based or server-side migration; it takes place through the apps on the device.

To begin, users must find the import option in the app they want to use. The location of that feature will vary by app. In Google Password Manager, which is built into Android, the import option is near the top under the settings tab. The import option in Google Password Manager will connect to the new migration system.

Export in Google Password Manager remains separate from the new import path. Ars Technica reported that export still creates an unencrypted CSV file containing passwords, which can be loaded into any app. The import process, by contrast, is tied to the new migration system and is started from the destination password manager.

Other apps are expected to follow a similar pattern, so users should begin the process in the app they intend to use. At present, the migration works in Google's app, 1Password, Bitwarden, and Dashlane, Ars Technica reported.

Editor's Summary

Google has added an on-device login migration process to Android that lets users move credentials between supported password managers without manually retyping them. The feature currently works with Google Password Manager, 1Password, Bitwarden, and Dashlane, and it starts from the import option in the destination app. Export in Google Password Manager continues to produce an unencrypted CSV, so the new import path is a separate way to switch services.