What you need to know

• You can now move passwords and passkeys directly between supported apps on Android without exporting sensitive data to an unencrypted file.
• Your new password manager hands the process to Android, which detects compatible managers installed on your phone and coordinates the transfer.
• Once authorized, Android moves the credentials between apps without requiring manual file handling.

Android has always made it a pain to switch password managers. Moving passwords usually involved exporting your data into an unencrypted text file, and passkeys were pretty much stuck in place. Android is tackling both of those issues with a new transfer experience that makes moving your credentials much more secure and simple.

In a blog post, Google said the new system lets you transfer passwords and passkeys directly between password managers, without first having to download a file.

That eliminates one of the biggest security hassles of the old process, which was that sensitive credentials were sitting unprotected on your device for a while. Furthermore, passkeys weren’t transferable, so you had to manually recreate them across websites and apps.

The process is built to be mostly out of your way. Start in your new password manager and select the option to import or copy credentials from another provider. The app then hands the job to Android, which knows which compatible password managers you have already installed on your phone and shows you where the data can come from.

You are then sent back to the password manager you already use to select, review, and approve the transfer. Once approved, the passwords and passkeys move between the apps in just a few seconds.

The feature is already available with Google Password Manager, 1Password, Bitwarden Password Manager, and Dashlane. Dashlane notes that CXP is compatible with devices running Android 10 or newer with the latest Play Services update. Bitwarden needs Android 14+ with Play services 26.21+.

It is not merely a matter of convenience. Passkeys are more secure than passwords and resistant to phishing. Adoption has been stalled in part due to user concerns around vendor lock-in. CXP removes that barrier.

Bitwarden says the creation of passkeys peaked this summer at over 500% compared to early 2024, with nearly half of all passkeys created in the past three months alone.

Google says more partners are on the way. If you’ve been waiting to change password managers because of the hassle, that excuse just went out the window.

What you need to know

• Android 17 QPR1 Beta 8 eliminates the long-running audio bug that caused random crackling, distortion, and loud static on Pixel devices.
• The audio issue lingered across multiple beta releases and generated 30+ reports in Google's issue tracker before this fix.
• Build CP31.260623.010 arrives two weeks after Beta 7, focusing purely on system stability and bug fixes ahead of the official September Feature Drop release.

Google has released Android 17 QPR1 Beta 8, fixing one of the most frustrating bugs Pixel testers have been dealing with: distorted audio that would randomly blast loud static during media playback or notifications.

The update, build CP31.260623.010, comes a little over two weeks after Beta 7 and is another cleanup release before the Pixel Feature Drop in September.

Google’s changelog says the biggest fix is for an issue with managing buffers in the audio framework that could cause unexpected crackling, corruption, and bursts of static. It’s a problem that has persisted over many QPR1 beta releases, spawning more than 30 separate tickets in Google’s issue tracker.

Android 17 QPR1 was already at Platform Stability with Beta 6, so developers have been working against finalized APIs while Google turns its attention to stability.

Beta 8 is available for eligible Pixel devices enrolled in the Android Beta Program, including the Pixel 6 series through the latest Pixel 10 lineup. There is, however, one big exception. Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro owners still get this QPR1 Beta 8 update, but it’s basically the end of the line for those phones. Google has already confirmed that those models won’t be moving on to Android 17 QPR2, with the stable Android 17 QPR1 release expected to be their last major software update this September.

Beta 8 might finally make the preview stable enough for you to use on a daily basis if you’ve been putting off trying it because of audio glitches. Otherwise, you might want to hold off a little longer because the polished, stable QPR1 release is now just around the corner.