Google Password Manager now rolling out family sharing

Damien Wilde | May 23 2024 - 12:43 am PT

After teasing earlier this year, Google Password Manager family password sharing appears to be rolling out.

Related: Google Password Manager rolls out Material You redesign on Android

This function was announced as part of Safer Internet Day which highlighted some important Family Link capabilities. According to Android Authority, the password sharing ability currently appears in the Google Password Manager on mobile with Google Play Services v24.20.

However, several of our own test devices do not appear to have the option despite running the latest build. The support pages detail just how this will work. When sharing a password, the person in your family group will gain access to a copy of the details in their Google Password Manager that they can use with the appropriate service.

This should work with websites and applications so long as you have the login details saved in your existing Password Manager account. However, the option is missing from the desktop version of Chrome at this time. You can see how this will work when the option is available on your device below:

With this new feature, you can now securely share your passwords with your family group in Google Password Manager. When you share a password, your family members will receive a copy of it in their Google Password Manager, ready to be used.

As noted, Password sharing via Google Password Manager is limited to “accounts that are part of a family group” which makes this feature safer than a generic sharing function. Google highlighted a few examples that this feature may be useful including a “child letting a parent access school assignments” or “coordinating daycare through a single account.”

The Google Password Manager is also currently rolling out a Material You redesign. It’s not clear if both changes will be available to everyone simultaneously. Let us know down in the comments section if you have the option on you device.