How Does Password Checkup Work on Android?
Password Checkup has been available in Chrome for some time. According to a post on The Keyword, this feature is now being rolled out system-wide on Android phones.
Which means that you’ll soon get system-wide alerts for compromised passwords on your Android device.
This feature uses the saved login information in your Google account to alert you of any password breaches. If one or more of your passwords were part of a breach, Google will notify you about your leaked passwords so you can change them.
Once the feature becomes available in your region, you’ll start getting alerts for your compromised passwords directly on your Android phone.
Is Your Android Phone Compatible With This Feature?
All Android phones running Android 9 or later support the Password Checkup feature. If you have a supported phone, and the feature has been rolled out in your region, you should start getting alerts for breached passwords on your device.
If you aren’t sure what version of Android you’re running, head into Settings > About phone on your device to check what version of Android it’s running.
How to Ensure Google Autofill Is Enabled on Your Phone
Your phone must use Google’s Autofill feature in order to use the Password Checkup feature. If you are not sure whether this is set as the default autofill service, you can head into your phone’s settings as below and check the current autofill provider.
Open the Settings app on your phone, tap System > Languages & input > Autofill service, tap the cog icon next to Autofill service by Google, and ensure the Use Autofill with Google toggle is turned on.
As soon as the feature is rolled out in your region, your compromised password alerts will start pouring in.
How to Increase Your Account Security
Google’s Autofill isn’t only meant to save your login information. It can actually generate passwords for you so you can always use a strong password for your web and app accounts.
You can generate a unique password by long-tapping the password field and selecting the Autofill option. You can even add biometric protection to your accounts from Google’s settings menu. This lets you use your biometric ID to grant access to your accounts.
Get Alerts for When Your Passwords Are Compromised
With Google notifying you of your compromised passwords, you no longer need to manually search various sites and databases to see if one of your passwords is potentially leaked to the public.
Whether you use that feature or not, you should always follow the best practices for creating unique and strong passwords for your accounts.
