Google Makes It Easier to Transfer Passwords on Android: How to Switch Managers in Seconds

Switching password managers on Android has always been an awkward, almost discouraging task: moving your credentials from one app to another meant exporting them into an unprotected text file, or re-entering dozens of logins by hand. Google has set out to fix that with a new system-level feature, announced on September 10, 2026, that lets you transfer passwords and passkeys directly between different managers, without ever passing through an unencrypted file stored on the phone.

The problem it solves

Until now, moving credentials from one password manager to another meant exporting the entire vault into a plain-text file. That file then sat on the device, often forgotten, exposed to the risk of being read by malicious apps or by malware specifically designed to steal data (so-called infostealers). Passkeys, on top of that, couldn't be transferred at all: they had to be manually recreated for every site and every app, a lengthy process that discouraged many users from switching providers or adopting passkeys in the first place.

For those unfamiliar with them, passkeys are a login method that replaces the traditional password with a pair of cryptographic keys: one stays on the user's device, the other is registered with the site or service. Since there's no password to type, there's nothing a phishing site can steal, which is what makes passkeys more secure than classic credentials. Their limitation, until now, was precisely their poor portability between different apps — an obstacle this new Android feature aims to remove.

How the transfer works

With the new feature, built directly into the Android system through the Credential Manager, the transfer happens entirely on-device, without creating any intermediate files. Here are the steps, using the example of someone moving their credentials from Bitwarden to 1Password:

• Start the import: in the new manager's app (1Password, in this case), select the option to import or copy credentials from another provider.
• Choose the source manager: Android automatically detects which compatible password managers are installed on the phone and shows them in a selection screen.
• Confirm: after choosing the source app (Bitwarden, in this example) and tapping "Continue," Android automatically opens that app.
• Authorize: inside the source app, the user selects the credentials to transfer, reviews them, and authorizes the operation.
• Transfer: once consent is given, passwords and passkeys move to the new app in a matter of seconds, with the data never passing through a file saved on the device.

Which apps already support it

At launch, the feature works with four widely used managers: Google Password Manager, 1Password, Bitwarden, and Dashlane. Google has said that other providers will be able to add support in the coming weeks and months, by integrating the dedicated APIs (the Credential Manager's so-called Credentials Transfer API) that have been made available to developers on the Android Developers portal.

Requirements and availability

The feature requires Android 8 or later, so it's already usable on the vast majority of devices in circulation today, as long as at least two compatible apps (the source and the destination) are installed on the phone. No particular operating system update is required beyond that minimum version, but the individual password management apps still need to have integrated support for the new API: on devices with apps that haven't been updated, the direct transfer option may not yet be visible.

Why this matters

This isn't just a convenience for people who want to switch password managers. By removing the need to create unprotected export files, Google is closing a concrete attack surface that has, in the past, been exploited by smartphone malware specifically designed to intercept password archives carelessly left on the device. At the same time, by solving the passkey portability problem, the feature lowers a barrier that had been holding back adoption of this authentication method, which is more secure than a traditional password because it relies on public-key cryptography and can't be replicated through phishing. It's worth noting that this initiative is voluntary on the part of Google and the providers involved, and doesn't stem from a regulatory requirement such as Europe's Digital Markets Act — but it remains a concrete step toward greater interoperability between credential management services, a topic the tech industry has debated for years without ever settling on truly shared standards.

For anyone using multiple Android devices or considering switching password managers, the practical takeaway is simple: before manually exporting any vault into a file, check whether your app already supports this direct transfer method, which is far safer and faster.

One more thing worth keeping in mind applies to shared family accounts or small work teams: being able to quickly and safely move large numbers of credentials makes a collective switch to a new manager far less risky, something that previously would have required manually recreating dozens of logins for every person involved. Even so, it's good practice after a transfer to verify that credentials were actually copied into the new manager before uninstalling or disabling the previous one, and to check periodically whether your preferred app has added support for the new feature if it wasn't available at launch.

Official Sources

• 9to5Google – Android now lets you transfer passkeys and passwords between apps
• Android Authority – How to transfer passwords on Android
• Punto Informatico – Google semplifica il trasferimento delle password su Android