Google Chrome is getting a new feature that will allow you to directly edit and managed your saved passwords – a feature that you'd usually expect to find in a dedicated password manager.
Like any modern web browser, Chrome can save usernames and passwords for you, and autofill forms to save you typing them out in full each time. It's not perfect though, and until now whenever you update an account password, you have to log into your Google account to make the necessary changes.
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That might seem like a pretty minor drawback, but if you're following best practice and updating your passwords regularly, it can be a real nuisance. However, as 9to5Google reports, a newly posted code change suggests managing your logins within Chrome itself is about to get much easier.
Like many new features, the option will first appear as a flag that can be activated by visiting chrome://flags and toggling it on. The option isn't there yet, but when it arrives it will be called EditPasswordInDesktopSettings. We'll let you know when it's available for testing.
A new, more secure Chrome?
Chrome isn't quite ready to replace a proper password manager (it doesn't generate new, secure passwords for your accounts, for example, or provide a digital vault for sensitive documents), but it's getting there.
In December last year, Google introduced a new tool that alerts you if one of your saved passwords has been leaked in a data breach. If you attempt to log into an account that's been compromised, the browser will warn you about the problem and advise you to change your password as soon as possible.
It will be interesting to see if Google takes password management even further, perhaps following in the footsteps of Mozilla, whose Firefox Lockwise password manager is built right into the browser.
Unlike other browser-based password tools, Lockwise allows you to use your login details in other apps, and can be accessed using biometric verification. It also features a timer that logs you out after a certain period of inactivity for extra peace of mind. If Chrome could do the same, it would be a huge boon for the browser.
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