Summary
- Google is enhancing its Password Manager to compete with third-party options by introducing an integrated option to import CSV files with login credentials.
- The current import option in the Password Manager redirects users to the web version, but Google is working to make the import process seamless within the app.
- Integrating password import into the Play Services version reduces friction and distinguishes Google from other password managers that require web versions for importing and exporting.
Over the past year, Google has been improving its Password Manager to be a viable alternative to some of the best third-party password managers out there. To make the switch to the Google Password Manager as easy as possible, the company is working on a new, integrated option to import CSV files with login credentials from other tools.
As spotted by Google app expert @AssembleDebug on X, the company wants to make it possible to import CSV files right from the Password Manager’s settings on Android. Right now, there is already an import option visible in the Password Manager, but it automatically forwards you to the web version of the tool, where you have to select the import option manually once again to get started. The native integration of password import in the integrated Password Manager has the potential to make it feel a lot more native and seamless.
As AssembleDebug shows in a series of screenshots, the import tool can already be activated with hidden flags. In the current state, a mostly blank page asks you to select a CSV file from your phone’s storage, with a follow-up screen then showing how many passwords can be imported and how many can’t. You currently can’t see which exactly, but given that there is a lot of blank space left on the import page, it’s possible that Google plans to add this in the future.
As mentioned before, importing passwords via CSV is already possible in the web version of Google Password Manager. While it may look the same as the one that you can easily access via the search bar on your Pixel phone, they’re technically two different beasts. The web version can be accessed via passwords.google.com on almost any device, while the other is baked into the Google Play Services. That’s also the one that makes it possible to use features like autofill.
Integrating password import into the Play Services version of the password manager makes sense as it reduces friction. Rather than throwing users back and forth between two different places, they should be able to access all the most important features from either place. It also serves as a unique feature, as many other password managers force you to use their web versions for importing and exporting, too.
When you import or export passwords, always remember to fully delete the CSV file that you need to create to kick off the process. It allows anyone with access to it to see all of your login details, with none of the usual protection from your old or new password manager in place.
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