While Google has long included a password manager among its account perks, accessing a native version of that tool on your Android phone or tablet hasn’t been straightforward. Before a recent Google Play Services update, you had to navigate to the “Privacy” section of Android’s Settings menu to find an option to launch the software. But as 9to5Google points out, you can now add a home screen shortcut to the tool on your Android phone or tablet.
You’ll have the option once you’ve updated to Google Play Services version 22.18. The easiest way to do that is to tap on a direct link to the software’s Play Store listing and manually download the latest release. Once that’s done, open the Settings app on your phone, then navigate to the Privacy section and tap “Autofill service from Google,” followed by “Passwords.” Doing so will launch the Google Password Manager. At that point, you’ll want to tap on the gear icon at the top of the interface to open the applet’s settings menu. You should then see an option that says “Add shortcut to your home screen.” You know what to do next.
Even the simplified process isn’t as straightforward as it should be, but Google making it easier to see and modify your passwords will also make it easier to change them when the situation calls for it.