Firefox 93 for Android becomes a system-wide password manager

The upcoming Firefox 93 web browser for Android can be used by its users as a system-wide password manager. Until now, passwords saved in the browser were restricted for use in the browser. If you saved a Reddit or Amazon password in Firefox, you can open the Reddit or Amazon website to automatically log in with the saved data.

What I couldn’t do so far was launch the Reddit or Amazon app on the Android device and expect to automatically log in. A password manager was required for that functionality.

Starting with Firefox 93 for Android, starting October 5, 2021, Firefox users can use the browser’s password manager to log into any application on the device.

If a password is saved in Firefox 93 or newer, Firefox users can select account credentials to log into an application on the device. For example: With the Instagram credentials saved in Firefox, Firefox may suggest using the saved credentials when a user opens the login page in the Instagram app.

A small change in browser settings is required to enable the new functionality. Select the three-dot menu icon in Firefox and then Settings from the context menu. On the main Settings page, select Logins and Password. Find the “Autocomplete in other applications” option and toggle it on so that it is enabled. Android displays a prompt to choose a compatible application for system-wide password auto-completion of the device. Select Firefox and you are good to go on the device.

Saved passwords can be used to log into applications on the device. The username field shows account suggestions and also an option to search in Firefox; the latter is useful if Firefox did not automatically select the correct account.

With syncing enabled in Firefox, Firefox will sync all user credentials with other Firefox installations, as long as the same account is used on these devices.

Firefox 93 includes a new option to save passwords manually. All that is required is to enter the site URL, username and password to save the credentials in the browser. These can be used to log into websites in Firefox, but also in applications on the Android device.

Select Menu> Settings> Logins and passwords> Saved logins, enter your Android PIN and use the new option “add login” on the page that opens to add a new site to Firefox password manager manually .

Review the full blog post on the Mozilla website.

Closing words

Firefox isn’t the only Android browser that can act as a system-wide password manager. Chrome and Edge, among others, can also be configured to auto-fill passwords on Android.

Now you: Do you use a password manager on your mobile devices?

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