Posted by Eiji Kitamura – Developer Advocate
Chrome on Android will quickly permit 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 data like addresses and fee knowledge.
A 3rd-party password supervisor might be set as the popular autofill service on Android by means 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 equivalent to janky web page scrolling and doubtlessly displaying duplicate ideas from Google and a third-party.
With this coming change, Chrome on Android will permit 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 data like addresses and fee knowledge, as they might in different Android apps.
Attempt the characteristic your self
You’ll be able to already check the performance on Chrome 131 and later. First, set a third-party autofill service as most well-liked in Android 14:
Word: Directions might range 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 beneath Most popular service
- Choose a most well-liked service
- Affirm 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
- Affirm and restart Chrome
Word: Steps 2 and three should not essential after Chrome 131. Chrome 131 is scheduled to be steady on November twelfth, 2024.
You’ll be able to 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 an extra 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 is best to encourage your customers to toggle the setting, to make sure they’ve the very best autofill expertise doable together with your service and Chrome on Android.
Timeline
- October sixteenth, 2024: Chrome 131 beta is accessible
- November twelfth, 2024: Chrome 131 is in steady
- Early 2025: Compatibility mode is not out there on Chrome