Android Rolls Out System-Level Password and Passkey Transfers Between Credential Managers

The rollout gives users a native transfer path rather than relying on vendor-specific import tools or plaintext exports. Slashdot cited 9to5Google for the steps to initiate a system-backed transfer. A user starts by opening the new password manager app and choosing the option to import or copy passwords and passkeys from another provider. The password manager then hands the task to Android.

Android then automatically detects existing password managers on the device and shows the user which ones can be used as sources. After the user taps "Continue," Android brings them to the existing password manager to select, review, and authorize the transfer. The data is then moved between the apps in a few seconds, according to the report.

The initial provider list covers four widely used credential managers, but the use of Android's Credentials Transfer API means additional providers can add support without asking users to handle unencrypted files. That matters for passkeys, which are tied to cryptographic credentials and cannot be copied like ordinary passwords without the right transfer mechanism. The system-level process is designed to keep the transfer inside Android and the participating apps, with the user authorizing the move in the source manager.

The feature is rolling out now, with no further timeline or regional details provided in the report. It applies to password and passkey transfers between supported credential managers on Android. Other providers that want to participate can do so through the Credentials Transfer API.