Android makes it easier to switch devices and log back into apps

Google has announced a new feature for Android that aims to make the process of switching and setting up new devices faster and more efficient. The feature, called Restore Credentials, can automatically sign users back into apps on devices once the switchover is complete, using a recovery key. It was introduced as part of Android’s Credential Manager API and works with both cloud and local recovery options on Android devices.

Recover login details on Android

Google detailed its new Restore Credentials feature in a blog after. The Mountain View-based tech giant emphasized that it is related to the backup and restore mechanism of the Android system. Even when users are signed in to the new device, they will continue to have access to all their apps and receive notifications on their old devices as well.

It uses a public key compatible with the password and FIDO2 backends and leverages the server-side password infrastructure. According to the company, users will be logged in silently after data recovery is complete if there is a backup agent integration. If there isn’t one, the app will look for the recovery key on first startup and then log the user in automatically.

How Android’s new credential recovery feature works
Photo credits: Android

The developer can create a recovery key for the user that is stored locally. It can also be stored in the cloud if the user backs up their device and end-to-end encryption is available. Once the data recovery process starts, the app data along with the recovery key will also be copied to the new device, via cloud or local transfer. The user is then automatically logged in to the new device. Google says this entire process requires no user input.

Google advises developers to delete the recovery key as soon as the user logs out to avoid the cycle of deliberately logging out and automatically logging back in. They can create, obtain, and delete recovery data using Jetpack Credential Manager.