Google brings useful Password Manager home-screen shortcut for Android with new update

You may know that across Android and Chrome, Google has a pretty nice service that stores your passwords and syncs them with your Google Account. It helps to never forget your credentials for your favorite websites, apps, and services.

And, on top of that, it has security features like the possibility to generate a unique password for every account you use on any website. Yes, that also helps kick the habit of using the same password everywhere (we're all guilty of that, at least at some period of our lives).

Now, Google is bringing a shortcut to Google Password Manager that you can place on your Android phone or tablet's home screen, for an even easier and more accessible experience with the Password service (via 9to5Google).

Google Password Manager getting a home screen shortcut for Android

Password Manager acts as an autofill service and it is easily accessible from the web (the Autofill option in Chrome settings). However, before this update, things were a bit different if you were looking to access the service on Android.

Well, there is an applet for Password Manager for Android, and it is provided by Google Play Services. The applet is noticeably more convenient than using the web version for Android, as it allows you to use biometrics (such as a fingerprint scan) to protect your saved passwords. On the web, you need to enter your Google Account, so it is a bit more cumbersome.

You can access the Android version of Password Manager by going to Settings of your Android phone > Privacy > Autofill service from Google > Passwords.


Here's how to do that. First off, check if Google Play Services is up-to-date on your device: version 22.18 or newer is where you will get this new feature. You can visit this direct link to the Play Store here, where the version you currently have on your phone will be listed.

Once you have updated Google Play Services on your phone, go to Password Manager (again like listed above: Settings > Privacy > Autofill service from Google > Passwords) and tap the gear icon in the top-right corner. There, you will be greeted by a very useful "Add shortcut to your home screen" option. Tap on it, and you will get a menu with the shortcut which you can drag and position anywhere you want on your home screen.

And that's it! You will then be able to access Google's Password Manager on Android anytime from your home screen.