Google delays rollout of native Chrome support for third-party autofill services

Google is pushing back the expected rollout of native Chrome support for third-party autofill services - such as password managers - to Chrome 135 instead of Chrome 131 as previously announced in October last year.

In a statement on the Android Developers Blog, Google said it was reflecting on feedback from autofill service developers and had shifted its schedule accordingly.

“Native Chrome support for third-party autofill services on Android means that users will be able to use their preferred password manager or autofill service directly in Chrome, without having to rely on workarounds or extensions,” said Google in the blog post.

Google said that based on the feedback, it was fixing bugs and making the new setting easier to find. The company also added the ability to query Chrome settings to see if the user wants a third-party autofill service, and an ability to deep link to the Chrome settings page in order to enable third-party autofill services.

“To reflect the feedback and to leave time for autofill service developers to make relevant changes, we are shifting the plan. Users must select Autofill using another service in Chrome settings to ensure their autofill experience is unaffected. The new setting will become available in Chrome 135,” stated Android Developers Blog, noting that Autofill services should inform users to adjust their settings accordingly.

Chrome 135 beta is set to become available on March 5 this year, while the stable version should be out in April. From summer this year, Chrome plans to stop supporting the compatibility mode.