As the saying goes, “Safety begins at home,” and Google seems to have taken this to heart. News has emerged that password sharing between Google account holders within the same family is now functional in beta, thanks to some tinkering reported by Android tipster AssembleDebug of TheSpAndroid.
With this new feature, you can securely share your passwords with your family group using Google Password Manager. By enabling specific flags in the latest Google Play Services beta version 24.13.14, the code sleuth took a closer look at how the feature will function when it formally rolls out.
The password-sharing ability currently appears in the Google Password Manager on mobile with Google Play Services v24.20, as reported by Android Authority. Announced as part of Safer Internet Day, this feature emphasizes important Family Link capabilities.
Here’s how it works: once you have selected your saved credentials, a share button will appear. Tapping it opens a share sheet displaying the names of your household members, complete with their profile images. You can then choose who to share the password with and send it along with another tap.
Google explained, “With this new feature, you can now securely share your passwords with your family group in Google Password Manager. When you share a password, your family members will receive a copy of it in their Google Password Manager, ready to be used.”
This new feature is designed to work with websites and applications where you have saved login details in your existing Password Manager account. However, it is currently unavailable on the desktop version of Chrome.
The password-sharing function is limited to accounts within a family group, making it safer than a generic sharing option. Google highlights potential uses such as a child letting a parent access school assignments or coordinating daycare through a single account.
Moreover, Google Password Manager is expected to get the Material You redesign, while it is still unknown if one or both updates will happen at once.
