When it comes to managing your passwords, there are several services to consider, such as Dashlane which recently became the first password manager for Android to support Android M’s native fingerprint security system. However if you’d rather not resort to third-party apps and services, Google’s Smart Lock Passwords might be worth your consideration.
So what is Smart Lock Passwords? For those unaware, it is basically a password manager built into your Google account. It signs users into Android apps and autofills forms on websites viewed on Chrome. However recently Google announced some changes that they would be making and one of them is opening up the Smart Lock API to third-party app developers and publishers.
What this means is that if you were to sign into an account on your computer using Chrome, you have the option of saving that password into Smart Lock. From there Smart Lock will be able to apply those login credentials to Android apps as well, so if you signed into Netflix on your computer, you will automatically be signed into the app when you launch it on your phone.
If you’re using a device where you’re pretty much logged into all your accounts, this won’t really matter. However as Google notes, this will come in handy if you have a new device and don’t want to waste time signing into every app that you redownload, some of which whose password you might have forgotten too.
At the moment not all apps and websites are compatible with the new Smart Lock feature. Google mentions that websites and services such as Eventbrite, Orbitz, Netflix, Instacart, and the New York Times are on board, with LinkedIn coming soon.
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