Google Autofill might use biometrics to secure your passwords

Google is testing biometric authentication for its password manager Autofill, according to XDA Developers. Google Autofill currently doesn’t have any user authentication, which leaves passwords vulnerable to device hackers. If the tests were to roll out to all Android users, fingerprint scanners, face unlock features, and even those iris scanners from Samsung could be used to secure accounts.

Google Autofill refresh — If you don’t know it by name, Autofill is connected to your Google account so it can be used on Android phones and across Chrome versions. It saves your login credentials around the web so you can keep them unique without having to remember them all. Unfortunately, if your phone or computer is hacked, the only protection those passwords have is your main lock/password screen.

How would this work? — Autofill would work with the biometric API to require you to use your fingerprint, face, or eyes to automatically load your passwords. XDA Developer successfully tested the feature by using face unlock to login to a Reddit account.

Other autofill password managers, like Dashlane and 1Password, already support biometric authentication. Though the feature is not yet available, should it reach all Android devices and Chrome users, Autofill would gain some much-needed security.