Chrome on Android is one of the most used browsers in the world, and that’s why Google has been so assiduous in adding new features and updating it throughout its lifespan. But, there’s been one glaring omission from the app, and that’s biometric protection for your passwords.
Thankfully, that’s coming to an end, as Google is seemingly adding more protection for your passwords to Chrome.
Protection that’s been a long time coming
Chrome was an odd blind spot
Google Password Manager offers biometric protection for your passwords across a number of different apps, and as the name implies, it means you’ll need to either scan your fingerprint on the fingerprint sensor or scan your face in order to access your passwords. However, in an odd omission, Chrome was never included in that list of apps — meaning anyone with access to your phone could log into any of your saved accounts on Chrome, as long as you’d stored your details in the password manager.
That seems to be coming to an end, as spotted by Telegram user Micha, speaking to Android Authority. According to Micha, the “Authenticate with biometrics before filling passwords” option that was previously present in Google Password Manager‘s security settings page has disappeared, but it’s been replaced by a new “Verify it’s you to autofill passwords” option.
That seems like the same way to phrase the same thing, except for one addition to the description of the new option: “For added protection, always use your fingerprint, face, or other screen lock when you sign in using autofill (coming soon to Chrome)”.
That final section in parentheses is the important part, as it shows that not only does Google know good password protection is missing on Chrome, but it also confirms a fix is on the way.
While we don’t know exactly when the feature will arrive, the mention of a “Coming soon” leads us to believe it won’t be too long.
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