Google to fix Password Manager glitch causing accidental deletions

Tech giant Google has recently acknowledged a glitch in its Password Manager that has been causing accidental password deletions leaving shocked users unable to access their accounts, Android Police reported.

Google often offers exclusive features to its Workspace customers who pay; however, some of those are also accessible to individual accounts. 

One such feature is Google Password Manager (GPM), which can also be used as a standalone app, a Chrome integration, and an Android system component. 

A secure password vault should remain unaffected when you clear your browser's browsing data; however, a Reddit user was not that lucky as he recently lost all their saved passwords while performing this action in Chrome, which should be a cause for concern.

A Reddit user named /u/harish9294 recently shared their ordeal of using Google's integrated credential storage system on their Pixel 7 Pro with GPM. 

The user opted for this system instead of their usual password managers for the sake of an integrated and unified experience; however, to their shock, all their credentials were wiped out due to a default setting that checked the "Saved passwords" list item while clearing browsing data in Chrome for Android. This incident was reported on Tech-Issues Today.

The Reddit user's mistake was that the Saved passwords option was checked by default on their device, and Chrome didn’t bother with confirmation, alerts, or two-factor authentication requests of any kind before deleting the critical data permanently.

To avert the inconvenience caused by a bug in Chrome, many users have recommended unchecking a certain option beforehand, so that Chrome remembers your preference. 

However, Himanshu Arora, the founder of PuinikaWeb, lost all of his passwords while trying to recreate the problem. 

Another user on Reddit has reported the issue to Chromium, while a Google employee has noticed the problem and promised that they would remove the toggle. 

Until this change takes place, users are strongly advised to switch to using a dedicated password manager, particularly if they use GPM to generate strong passwords or store important passkeys.