The Google Assistant feature, designed to automate the time-consuming process of changing passwords after a breach, appears to be rolling out more widely.This is according to a tweet from Leaker Max Weinbach and a report android police.
One of Weinbach’s screenshots shows a dialog box warning that Chrome for Android has detected a breach in a used password and offers an “Automatically change” option. The second includes a confirmation box asking the user to agree to “let Google Assistant help you change your password.”
The Google Assistant feature was announced at Google I/O last year. It only works on supported sites, but where possible, the idea is to automate as much of the password change process as possible. When triggered, Assistant takes you directly to the correct page to change your password, and uses Chrome’s built-in password manager to generate and store new login details.
android police Note that you also have the option to manually check if Chrome’s saved passwords have been compromised. The “Check Password” option is available in the “Passwords” submenu of your browser settings. When a password is discovered to be compromised, a “change password” button will appear, with the Google Assistant logo if there is an option to change it automatically.
Based on Google’s “Duplex on the Web” technology, the security feature is designed to quickly perform tasks such as buying movie tickets, checking in for flights or ordering food. It does this by automating more routine parts of the process, such as scrolling, clicking through multiple pages, and filling out forms. 9to5Google Note that password automation appears to have been rolled out gradually since “certain users” gained access last November.
In the past, password managers like LastPass and Dashlane offered the ability to automatically change compromised passwords. But given the number of people who use any password manager built into their browsers by default, Google’s feature could end up being more influential as it rolls out.
We’ve contacted Google to confirm the rollout.