You know the drill: you buy a new Android phone and after transferring the backup of your old device, you’re logged out of all the apps you were using. Google is now going to change that.
One of the big advantages of iOS over Android is the smoother transition from one device to another. If you transfer a backup to a new iPhone, after that process you almost feel like you’re still using your old phone.
In Android, you can also have your data transferred, but it’s a lot less smooth. If you open an app that your old phone was logged into, you are no longer logged into it on your new phone. Very irritating.
Android login credentials are stored in the cloud
Google agrees and is now offering app developers the option to change this. From now on, if you log into an app, the app will automatically save your login data. If you then switch after a number of years, your new Android device can fish out that so-called “restore key” and log in again to the app in question.
The login credentials your Android phone automatically saves are stored in the cloud. It is also possible to choose to have the ‘restore key’ stored locally, i.e. on your device. This can be fine if you prefer not to have your data stored in the cloud. However, it is important to note that this is encrypted, so you need not fear for the security of your passwords.
Google
Since app developers need to implement the Android feature in their software, it may take some time before you can widely use the new functionality. Moreover, a developer may also choose not to use the new feature, which means you won’t be able to use it either. So in the future, you may find that some apps will automatically log you in, while others will not.
