To try to speed up access to applications and make logins easier, but still ensure user security, Google has released a new tool for application developers, which combines the app’s access settings with credentials saved in the user’s account, adding biometrics functions and other options to reinforce security.
The new Credential Manager API simplifies access to credentials stored in a user’s Google account. Once integrated into the login flow, Google makes available a list of credentials associated with a service and users can simply tap to choose the one they want to use. And it doesn’t matter if the account requires a traditional username and password, login with Google or the new default password.
Credential Manager also supports saving passwords for new and existing accounts or configuring a passkey with supported services. It’s worth noting that even though Credential Manager initially only supports credentials stored in a user’s Google account, the company has already confirmed that the system will support third-party password managers in a future release.
The novelty is important for users who want to continue storing credentials without associating them with the Google account, but also for employees of a company, for example, or a group of individuals in general who share a service and have the same access credential.
Since 2015, Google has strived to ensure this facility, such as with Smart Lock Passwords and more recently evolving into One Tap and Block Store. The new Credential Manager API provides the same basic flow for users, but takes the mission one step further with the adoption of access keys.
For developers who want to implement Credential Manager in their applications, it can be found in the credential library as part of Jetpack, Google’s collection of libraries that assist Android developers in integrating advanced features and capabilities of the operating system. The implementation steps are pretty straightforward, and Google provides most of the code needed to get it up and running in an app.
