Families will find it easier to use Google Password Manager. Password sharing was initially announced in February this year and has now begun rolling out to Google Password Manager, Android Authority reports.
According to Google's support document, the new feature will allow users to "securely" share copies of their saved passwords with family members.
This means you need to have one or create a family group to use this feature. You won't be able to share to any old Google Accounts. If you're already part of a Family Group and use Google Password Manager for Android, you should now see a new "Share" button next to your passwords, although Android Authority reports that that may not be the case on desktop just yet so.
I can also confirm that neither of my computers can access the feature, nor can my iPhone. However, PC and iOS should eventually be able to access it via their respective Chrome apps.
Sharing passwords has always been a tricky business, especially since text messages and emails aren't very secure. Offering password sharing options in Google Password Manager will undoubtedly make the free password manager more attractive to users who already trust Google and their information.
Other password managers, like 1Password, LastPass, Bitwarden, and even the relatively new Proton Pass, also offer password sharing capabilities, although like Google's reliance on Family Groups, they all have their own limitations.
Hopefully Google will expand this feature in the future, perhaps launching a One-Time Password feature similar to LastPass, which allows you to share your password with someone without actually giving them the password. This one-time password also expires after a certain period of time to help keep your account secure.
Keep an eye out for new sharing features in Google Password Manager in the coming days. It should be available as part of the Google Play services update v24.20 in May.
