Google Password Manager Lets You Share Credentials With Family Members
The next time someone needs a streaming login, you don't have to shout the password across the room.
While we're still waiting for passwords to go the way of the Dodo, Google released an upgrade to its eponymous password management app to make it easier for people to share passwords with family members. Now when someone chooses to share a login, it appears in that family member's Google Password Manager, ready to use.
In the update, which is being sent to Android-powered devices this month, people can "securely share a copy" of their password with someone in their family group, Google said in a support page on its website.
For many people, this feature could help when logging in to streaming services, but families in particular have many shared logins they use, whether they be for schools, banks or utilities.
A Google spokesperson said the feature is "gradually being rolled out" to iOS and desktop users but didn't provide details about whether the company plans to enable password sharing outside set "family" groups.
Read more: Best Password Manager in 2024
Google's efforts to expand its password manager's capabilities mark another way the company is trying to simplify the annoying but necessary task of managing passwords in the modern world. Nearly everything connected to the internet needs a password these days, and while that can help with basic security, the endless stream of passwords is too much for most of us.
As a result, tech companies are increasingly building password managers into their features for our smartphones, tablets and web browsers. The apps promise to help us create randomized strings of words or characters for each different service we use across the web, and then store them behind a secure app and a single password.
While these technologies broadly help make juggling all those passwords more manageable and safer than writing login info on a sticky note, they're a stopgap. Research shows that a large portion of cyberattacks still stem from people getting tricked out of their passwords, which is why cybersecurity experts say we should ultimately get rid of the technology altogether.
In the meantime, companies have tried to simplify the process of using passwords. Tech giants including Apple, Microsoft, Sony and Google have introduced new technologies like passkeys, which use biometrics to log you in.