When you’re using your Android device, it’ll offer to store your passwords for you so you don’t have to remember them yourself. But where are they stored and how can you find them? In this article we’ll:
- Show you how to find your saved passwords
- Take a closer look at Android and Google
- Offer you a password management alternative
How to find my saved passwords on this device
Wondering “where are my saved passwords on this device?” Don’t worry. It’s very easy to see everything you’ve saved on your Android device.
To find your saved passwords, all you need to do is:
- Select Settings
- Select Passwords and accounts
Or alternatively if you’re using Google’s browser Chrome, you’ll be able to access your passwords here as well. To do this:
- Select the three dots ⋮ icon
- Select Settings
- Select Passwords
Everything you’ve saved as a username or password is accessible on your device.
What can Android’s built-in password manager do?
The built-in password manager, named Android Keystore, on your Android device is designed to store your passwords and not much else. It can autofill your password fields and also create and manage passkeys. It’s a bare-bones utility that’s an introduction to what you can expect from a password manager.
But fair warning: Using the password manager that comes built into your phone is like using your phone without a screen protector or a case. You can do it, but you’re creating unnecessary risk.
Is Android Keystore secure?
To understand whether Android Keystore is secure, we have to examine the company that built it: Google. Android devices are just one of the ways that the company dominates the market for data collection.
As a longtime competitor of Apple, Google is currently trying to catch up in the race for privacy (or rather privacy washing). Data stored in Android Keystore is encrypted using AES,(nueva ventana) an encryption specification widely considered to be secure. The app itself is safe while limited in functionality: as we mentioned, you can store passwords and passkeys and not much else. But when you use a product, it’s important to be aware of the company making it and what their intentions are. Google may not have your best interests at heart.
Can you trust Google?
While Google has been trying to position user privacy as its chief concern in its advertising, reality tells a different story. The company tends to prioritize expanding its ad serving capabilities over protecting its users: forty-eight vulnerabilities(nueva ventana) including a zero-day kernel flaw have just been patched on Android devices.
The company’s reversal of its decision to kill tracking cookies(nueva ventana) in Google Chrome has also created serious concerns about its commitment to user privacy. As of February 16, not only will cookies remain in place, but Google will begin using digital fingerprinting. Google announced in December 2024 that it was making changes to its advertising ecosystem(nueva ventana) which would “reflect the latest evolutions in technology and meet our partners’ needs and users’ expectations.” This means that the company wants to collect multiple pieces of data from not only your computer and your phone, but also your smart TV, games console, and additional smart devices.
Google maintains that it will collect this information to help marketers reach people without removing the option of opting out of personalized ads. But you can’t opt out of digital fingerprinting. Information about your devices can be collected without your knowledge and there’s no way to remove your consent. This lack of concern for its users’ ability to opt out of surveillance and tracking is typical of Big Tech. Your passwords may be secure in Android Keystore, but Google isn’t protecting your personal data.
And then there’s Google’s propensity for spying on its users. In 2018, The Wall Street Journal released an investigation into Google’s claim that it would stop scanning Gmail inboxes(nueva ventana) to create personalize ads, finding that outside software developers were still able to scan the inboxes of millions of users. The metadata
By tying you into its non-private ecosystem, Google’s counting that you’ll rely on all of its products. Once you’re reliant on Google for storing your passwords, sending your emails, searching online, and more, it’s much harder to leave. You might be using an Android device already, but you can choose to install apps and use services that protect your privacy. You certainly don’t need to rely on Google when it comes to protecting your passwords.
An alternative password manager: Proton Pass
Proton Pass is an end-to-end encrypted password manager that’s available on Android as well as all major platforms. It’s a user-first password manager that makes it easy to generate, store, and autofill your passwords, saving you valuable time without compromising your privacy. Proton Pass does everything Android Keystore does, and much more.
Proton Pass also allows you to create hide-my-email aliases. With email aliases, you can mask your personal email address so that no one can see it online. Your email address is as important as your passwords when it comes to staying safe online, so email aliases are an extra layer of protection when you’re creating a new account or signing up for public WiFi.
With a free Proton Pass plan, you can:
- Sync unlimited passwords across all your devices effortlessly
- Generate secure passwords in just a couple of clicks
- Store and create passkeys
- Create 10 hide-my-email aliases
- Get alerts for weak and reused passwords
Proton’s mission is to create a privacy-first internet. One where your data isn’t sold or used to track you, and where you can use the internet safely. We created every Proton product to prevent you being exploited online, no matter what you’re doing. Proton Pass is our solution for helping you avoid hackers, phishing, and the simple inconvenience of being locked out of an account.
If you’re interested in trying a different password manager that prioritizes your privacy and won’t sell your data, try Proton Pass today.
