Switching password managers on Android used to be a hassle: exporting passwords to an unencrypted CSV file, securely transferring the file from one app to another, uploading it to the new app, and recreating all passkeys from scratch. As of September 10, 2026, this can be done directly. Google has rolled out a new feature that allows password managers on Android to exchange login credentials and passkeys directly with one another, without having to go through a file.
In short: Google Password Manager, 1Password, Bitwarden, and Dashlane can now exchange passwords and passkeys directly on Android. The new app sends a request, the old app confirms it, and within a few seconds, all login credentials have been transferred. This requires at least Android 8, as well as an up-to-date version of the respective app and Google Play Services—or a slightly newer version, depending on the provider.
What Really Changes with the Switch
Until now, switching password managers on Android involved a lot of effort. Anyone who has exported passwords from Chrome, for example, is familiar with the process: a CSV file containing all login credentials in plain text, which you then had to store securely yourself and delete afterward. This is precisely the risk Google now aims to eliminate.
Technically, this is made possible by a new integration in Android’s Credential Manager, which allows compatible password manager apps to recognize each other and coordinate the transfer. This is particularly handy for passkeys: Until now, they had to be completely set up from scratch when switching providers because there was no standardized transfer method.
Here’s how the password transfer works, step by step
The process is kept as simple as possible:
- Select the import function in the new password manager app.
- Android automatically detects any compatible password managers already installed on the device.
- The user briefly switches to the previous app and confirms the transfer there; in some cases, individual entries can be reviewed and deselected beforehand.
- Passwords and passkeys are copied directly into the new app within a few seconds.
No caching, no manual file uploads, and no need to set up passkeys again. The old app remains installed and usable until you uninstall it yourself.
These password managers are already on board
According to Google, four providers support the new feature at launch. The exact minimum requirements vary slightly across different reports, likely because each provider requires its own version of Play Services in addition to the basic Android requirements:
| Password Managers | Android Version | Additional Requirement |
|---|---|---|
| Google Password Manager | Android 8 or later | Latest Google Play Services |
| 1Password | Android 8 or later | Latest app version |
| Bitwarden Password Manager | Android 14 or later | Google Play Services 26.21 or later |
| Dashlane | Android 10 or later | Latest Google Play Services |
More providers are expected to follow. Since the underlying interface is open to partners, managers such as Proton Pass or NordPass could follow suit in the future, though there have been no official announcements regarding this yet.
Why this matters right now
The timing is no coincidence. Passkeys are becoming noticeably more popular: Bitwarden reports that by the summer of 2026, the number of passkeys created will have increased by more than 500 percent compared to early 2024. Until now, however, this very fact has deterred many people from switching in the first place, because switching meant having to re-register all passkeys with every single service.
This hurdle has now largely been removed. Anyone who has ever dealt with transferring apps to a new phone, for example, is familiar with the fundamental problem: The easier a switch is, the more likely users are to actually make the switch. This is exactly what should help with password managers, especially since many have stuck with Google Password Manager or the browser’s built-in manager out of sheer convenience, even though specialized providers like Bitwarden or 1Password offer more features. Anyone working on the basics of online security in general should therefore consider this new feature a good reason to make the switch.
Our Assessment
This change is unspectacular, and that’s exactly why it makes sense. It doesn’t solve a new problem, but rather clears away a fairly old hurdle that has made switching between password managers unnecessarily cumbersome up until now. It remains to be seen whether Bitwarden, 1Password, or Dashlane will ultimately lure more users away from Google’s own password manager. The real benefit, however, lies elsewhere: for the first time, there’s a unified, official way on Android to transfer passkeys between providers at all. This was long overdue.
Google hasn’t provided any specific details about the rollout in Germany yet, but according to reports so far, the feature is already available to all users with compatible app versions. So anyone who has one of the four supported apps installed can simply give the switch a try.
