Google's Password Manager Lands in the Pixel Launcher

The official Google Password Manager is supposed to "stay out of the way," hence the lack of a proper app. It's a very odd and somewhat inconvenient way of doing things. But Google is capitulating to the complainers—searching for "passwords" in the Pixel Launcher now surfaces a Google Password Manager shortcut.

For years, accessing the Google Password Manager has been a multistep process. On an Android device, you have to dive into Settings, select "Google," go to "Manage Your Account," press "Security" scroll down a bunch, and open the Password Manager's settings. Other platforms force you to visit chrome://password-manager/passwords in the Chrome browser.

Things improved a bit in 2022, when Google introduced a Password Manager shortcut for Android. Adding this shortcut to your home screen is a pain, though. You're forced to enter the Google Password Manager settings (through the above instructions), press a cog icon in the top-right corner of your screen, and tap "Add shortcut to your home screen."

Today's update adds the Google Password Manager to the Pixel Launcher—not your app drawer, the Pixel Launcher. That's the search bar on your Pixel phone's home screen.

If you own a Pixel device, tap the search bar on your home screen and type "password" or "password manager." The Google Password Manager may appear in your search. Note that you may need to minimize your keyboard to see the shortcut. Oddly, searching for "Google Password Manager" doesn't work.

This improvement is only available on Pixel devices. It hasn't been formally announced by Google, and it's gradually rolling out to users. If Google Password Manager doesn't appear in your Pixel Launcher search today, wait a few days and try again. This feature may require the latest Pixel firmware update.

It seems that Google is finally realizing the obvious—people want apps. The company recently added a Google Weather shortcut to the Pixel app drawer, and now, Google Password Manager is easier to hunt down on Pixel phones. Neither of these services are available as real apps, so the situation is still a bit frustrating, but shortcuts are a lot better than nothing.

Source: 9to5Google

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