Smartphone user shares game-changing login trick they're 'devastated' they didn't know sooner

One tech expert has shared a game-changing login trick.

Having passwords for pretty much everything we use, from YouTube and Facebook to PlayStation accounts and online banking, can make remembering them exhausting.

Eventually, you're bound to forget some of them. But thanks to modern password managers, you can store all your credentials in one secure location. The best part is you can share passwords with your partner or family members with a simple tick, thanks to a smartphone user's revelation.

According to the tech expert, you can establish family groups for built-in password managers through both Google and Apple, which means it works for iPhones as well as Android.

You can share passwords with your family (Thomas Barwick/Getty)

If your partner or roommate sets up the bills and saves the passwords to their phone, you can access it on your mobile device. And if the password changes, it automatically updates on your phone too.

The shared credentials are all stored in a special Shared Group folder within the official Apple Passwords app. Access can be added or revoked for anyone at any time.

Most importantly, you can decide what passwords to share. So you can share the family Netflix account details for the household, but probably best to keep your banking app details private.

According to the iPhone whizz, the feature only arrived with iOS 17 in 2023, then received an upgrade with the official Passwords app in iOS 18. Apple's Passwords app can act as a hub for all your logins, you can generate and edit them as you please.

Use a password manage to generate secure passwords (Dadan/Getty)

Similarly, on Android devices, Google has a Passwords Manager and on the browser, Chrome works nearly identically.

These systems are designed to protect your passwords, keeping them in one secure place that's easily accessible to you. Its Autofill tool is also handy, so you don't have to retype your login details into an app or website every time you use it.

How to set up Passwords on iPhone

If you have an iPhone, you’ll want to make sure your device is running at least iOS 18 or later. You can do this by going to Settings > General > Software Update. Then open the Passwords app, which has three door keys as its logo.

Now, you can create a New Group, give it a name and add whoever you like to share the passwords with. As you browse your main password list, you can add selected entries to the Shared Group. The other person will then be able to see those passwords on their own phone, as well as any future password changes.

How to set up Password Manager on Android

For Android owners, simply go to your Google Password Manager, available in Chrome on a computer or on the phone itself, and set up a Family Group.

Here, you can add specific logins that will then be shared with those family members.