Chrome on Android to assist third-party autofill companies natively

Posted by Eiji Kitamura – Developer Advocate

Chrome on Android will quickly enable third-party autofill companies (like password managers) to natively autofill kinds on web sites. Builders of those companies want to inform their customers to toggle a setting in Chrome to proceed utilizing their service with Chrome.

Background

Google is the default autofill service on Chrome, offering passwords, passkeys and autofill for different info like addresses and fee knowledge.

A 3rd-party password supervisor will be set as the popular autofill service on Android by way of System Settings. The popular autofill service can fill throughout all Android apps. Nonetheless, to autofill kinds on Chrome, the autofill service wants to make use of “compatibility mode“. This causes glitches on Chrome akin to janky web page scrolling and probably exhibiting duplicate solutions from Google and a third-party.

With this coming change, Chrome on Android will enable third-party autofill companies to natively autofill kinds giving customers a smoother and less complicated person expertise. Third-party autofill companies can autofill passwords, passkeys and different info like addresses and fee knowledge, as they might in different Android apps.

Strive the characteristic your self

You may already take a look at the performance on Chrome 131 and later. First, set a third-party autofill service as most popular in Android 14:

Word: Directions might differ by system producer. The beneath steps are for a Google Pixel system working Android 15.

Open Android’s System Settings
Choose Passwords, passkeys & accounts
Faucet on Change button underneath Most well-liked service
Choose a most popular service
Verify altering the popular autofill service

Secondly, allow third-party autofill service on Chrome

Open Chrome on Android
Open chrome://flags#enable-autofill-virtual-view-structure
Set the flag to “Enabled” and restart
Open Chrome’s Settings and faucet Autofill Providers
Select Autofill utilizing one other service
Verify and restart Chrome

Word: Steps 2 and three will not be obligatory after Chrome 131. Chrome 131 is scheduled to be steady on November twelfth, 2024.

You may emulate how Chrome behaves after compatibility mode is disabled by updating chrome://flags#suppress-autofill-via-accessibility to Enabled.

Actions required from third-party autofill companies

Implementation clever, autofill service builders do not want a further implementation so long as they’ve a correct integration with autofill companies. Chrome will gracefully respect it and autofill kinds.

Chrome plans to cease supporting compatibility mode in early 2025. Customers should choose Autofill utilizing one other service in Chrome settings to make sure their autofill expertise is unaffected. The brand new setting is accessible in Chrome 131. It’s best to encourage your customers to toggle the setting, to make sure they’ve the most effective autofill expertise doable together with your service and Chrome on Android.