Entering password on Android for password manager

Questions on how we spend our money and our time - consumer goods and services, home and vehicle, leisure and recreational activities
Post Reply
Topic Author
TheGreyingDuke
Posts: 2219
Joined: Fri Sep 02, 2011 10:34 am

Entering password on Android for password manager

Post by TheGreyingDuke »

I have taken the precaution of a long password for the manager but my clumsy fingers have a hard time entering it all, correctly, on my Pixel 7. Lastpass and BitWarden allow for log in with finger print but I must first unlock the data base with my password.

I don't do much financial on the phone (depositing checks to Fidelity allows for biomteric as does Vanguard) but need to find a way to get a long, complex password entered correctly. Did a big search here and there, no hints, I know I am missing something.
"Every time I see an adult on a bicycle, I no longer despair for the future of the human race." H.G. Wells
MGBMartin
Posts: 1145
Joined: Thu Nov 04, 2021 11:09 am

Re: Entering password on Android for password manager

Post by MGBMartin »

I use KeePass2 for Android.
It allows me to unlock the database using my fingerprint.
What password manager are you using?
Bad spellers of the world untie | Autocorrect is my worst enema
Silk McCue
Posts: 8954
Joined: Thu Feb 25, 2016 6:11 pm

Re: Entering password on Android for password manager

Post by Silk McCue »

Type all but the first and last characters of the complex password into a note until it is right. Copy that text. Open the password manager. Type in the first character of the password. Paste the bulk of the password from the note. Type in the last character of the password and then press enter.

Plenty of variations available for this approach.

Cheers
Last edited by Silk McCue on Wed Dec 07, 2022 12:59 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Topic Author
TheGreyingDuke
Posts: 2219
Joined: Fri Sep 02, 2011 10:34 am

Re: Entering password on Android for password manager

Post by TheGreyingDuke »

Have used LastPass for years, and am road testing BitWarden. You need to login to them, you can then unlock with fingerprint, I am sure I am missing something here!
"Every time I see an adult on a bicycle, I no longer despair for the future of the human race." H.G. Wells
Gadget
Posts: 1026
Joined: Fri Mar 17, 2017 1:38 pm

Re: Entering password on Android for password manager

Post by Gadget »

I use 1Password and you only have to login with a password maybe once every 2-4 weeks. All other times on mobile you can login with fingerprint.

That said, surely you can do the same thing in bitwarden or lastpass. Maybe you have a security setting in preferences turned up too high to where it won't allow biometric authentication?
BrownEyedGirl_27
Posts: 302
Joined: Tue Dec 17, 2019 5:37 pm

Re: Entering password on Android for password manager

Post by BrownEyedGirl_27 »

Hmm, I foresaw that problem on my iPhone and decided to do a shorter password with special characters. It’s just too cumbersome to type in a long PW and I don’t want to copy and paste in a long code. If my phone is lost, stolen or damaged I can remotely wipe the contents off the phone so people cannot access my information. I use the iPhone’s native password manager + biometric for everything and it works great. Having notifications set up on your financial accounts for any withdrawals, purchases or transfers over $100 can also help deter theft.
"Your mind has a mind of its own. At the very moment when you are most convinced of your own rationality, you may be feeling rather than thinking your way toward a decision.” | Jason Zweig
User avatar
StewedCarrot
Posts: 278
Joined: Sun Feb 09, 2020 12:34 pm

Re: Entering password on Android for password manager

Post by StewedCarrot »

Yes OP, something is amiss. BitWarden autofills on biometric unlock for me.

Check your settings - Auto-fill services should be On. Unlock with Biometrics should be On.

If that doesn't work check with BW support. They're quick to help.
User avatar
tuningfork
Posts: 885
Joined: Wed Oct 30, 2013 8:30 pm

Re: Entering password on Android for password manager

Post by tuningfork »

TheGreyingDuke wrote: Wed Dec 07, 2022 12:59 pm Have used LastPass for years, and am road testing BitWarden. You need to login to them, you can then unlock with fingerprint, I am sure I am missing something here!
Bitwarden only requires you to enter the master password once, then it will use biometrics to unlock. If you decide to logout of Bitwarden, then you'll need to login with the master password again.

I use a password that's relatively easy to type but is still long and complex.
gavinsiu
Posts: 4541
Joined: Sun Nov 14, 2021 11:42 am

Re: Entering password on Android for password manager

Post by gavinsiu »

TheGreyingDuke wrote: Wed Dec 07, 2022 12:26 pm I have taken the precaution of a long password for the manager but my clumsy fingers have a hard time entering it all, correctly, on my Pixel 7. Lastpass and BitWarden allow for log in with finger print but I must first unlock the data base with my password.

I don't do much financial on the phone (depositing checks to Fidelity allows for biomteric as does Vanguard) but need to find a way to get a long, complex password entered correctly. Did a big search here and there, no hints, I know I am missing something.
For Bitwarden, Take a look at your settings, make sure that your vault timeout action is lock. If it's set to logout, you may have to login again.

Autofill is often inconsistent across different android version, but since you are using a recent phone like Pixel 7, make sure you use the autofill framework. Older android do not have this and uses the accessibility, which doesn't work as well.

Even when it is working, some site purposely make it difficult to use. I can't autofill certain apps and site because the vendor apparently block the autofill. For example, I can't autofill bank of america app on android. Fortunately, the app can be setup to authenticate with fingerprint to bypass the login issue.
MrJones
Posts: 775
Joined: Sat Mar 18, 2017 2:23 am

Re: Entering password on Android for password manager

Post by MrJones »

TheGreyingDuke wrote: Wed Dec 07, 2022 12:26 pm I have taken the precaution of a long password for the manager but my clumsy fingers have a hard time entering it all, correctly, on my Pixel 7. Lastpass and BitWarden allow for log in with finger print but I must first unlock the data base with my password.
That doesn't sound right. I use BitWarden very frequently to login to websites and apps, and I type in my long password perhaps once a year or less. Unlocking is always via fingerprint. Check:

BW - Settings - Unlock with Biometrics - On
Diluted Waters
Posts: 262
Joined: Sun Sep 13, 2020 7:35 pm

Re: Entering password on Android for password manager

Post by Diluted Waters »

Silk McCue wrote: Wed Dec 07, 2022 12:58 pm Type all but the first and last characters of the complex password into a note until it is right. Copy that text. Open the password manager. Type in the first character of the password. Paste the bulk of the password from the note. Type in the last character of the password and then press enter.

Plenty of variations available for this approach.

Cheers
I have read plausible stories of robbers forcing victims to unlock their phones (bio-metrically or otherwise) before relieving their victims of the phone. Everyone's postulated threat should include the above scenario unless they live in a place like rural Wyoming. Unless I've misunderstood it, the above technique turns a long password into a two-character password that is guessable once the thief discovers the note. Which is likely. Experienced thieves know all these tricks. If you have 2FA based on text messaging or email or a phone call to your cell phone, that won't help in this case either. The thief has your unlocked phone.

There is little to recommend the above idea if security is an objective.

While not ideal, It's better to use a password you can remember and type even if it's shorter, but still random enough to avoid being on stolen password lists (for example, don't use "password" "sesame" "12345678" and many more). [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_t ... _passwords] Bitwarden has tools to check if usernames or passwords are on the stolen lists.

Choose a password that will take longer to crack than it will take you to get to a computer to change your Bitwarden password. Eight characters could give you 39 minutes, nine could give you 2 days. [https://www.techrepublic.com/article/ho ... n-an-hour/]

It's unusual, but if your postulated threat includes confiscation by organizations or authorities with nation-state resources your password should be longer than the above because many such states may also be able to hold you for longer than your anticipated response time to change your password. Also in this case, biometric access to your password manager might be inadvisable. Some organizations and countries, including jurisdictions in the US, can force you to biometrically unlock your phone just like a street criminal can and in the US fourth and fifth amendment protections may not apply. But they do for passwords you have to type in.

Also note that Vanguard's terms of use for their online account access fraud coverage includes language about not writing down the password in clear text or storing it on your computer. They may be unhelpful if it comes to light that all but one or two characters of the password were stored in the note app.
Silk McCue
Posts: 8954
Joined: Thu Feb 25, 2016 6:11 pm

Re: Entering password on Android for password manager

Post by Silk McCue »

Diluted Waters wrote: Wed Dec 07, 2022 6:38 pm
Silk McCue wrote: Wed Dec 07, 2022 12:58 pm Type all but the first and last characters of the complex password into a note until it is right. Copy that text. Open the password manager. Type in the first character of the password. Paste the bulk of the password from the note. Type in the last character of the password and then press enter.

Plenty of variations available for this approach.

Cheers
I have read plausible stories of robbers forcing victims to unlock their phones (bio-metrically or otherwise) before relieving their victims of the phone. Everyone's postulated threat should include the above scenario unless they live in a place like rural Wyoming. Unless I've misunderstood it, the above technique turns a long password into a two-character password that is guessable once the thief discovers the note. Which is likely. Experienced thieves know all these tricks. If you have 2FA based on text messaging or email or a phone call to your cell phone, that won't help in this case either. The thief has your unlocked phone.

There is little to recommend the above idea if security is an objective.

While not ideal, It's better to use a password you can remember and type even if it's shorter, but still random enough to avoid being on stolen password lists (for example, don't use "password" "sesame" "12345678" and many more). [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_t ... _passwords] Bitwarden has tools to check if usernames or passwords are on the stolen lists.

Choose a password that will take longer to crack than it will take you to get to a computer to change your Bitwarden password. Eight characters could give you 39 minutes, nine could give you 2 days. [https://www.techrepublic.com/article/ho ... n-an-hour/]

It's unusual, but if your postulated threat includes confiscation by organizations or authorities with nation-state resources your password should be longer than the above because many such states may also be able to hold you for longer than your anticipated response time to change your password. Also in this case, biometric access to your password manager might be inadvisable. Some organizations and countries, including jurisdictions in the US, can force you to biometrically unlock your phone just like a street criminal can and in the US fourth and fifth amendment protections may not apply. But they do for passwords you have to type in.

Also note that Vanguard's terms of use for their online account access fraud coverage includes language about not writing down the password in clear text or storing it on your computer. They may be unhelpful if it comes to light that all but one or two characters of the password were stored in the note app.
This was a suggestion to use ONCE so that they could setup fingerprint access. The OP was fat fingering the complex password and that is what they are trying to solve.

They would have already gained access and setup fingerprint access had they followed it.

Cheers
mhalley
Posts: 10432
Joined: Tue Nov 20, 2007 5:02 am

Re: Entering password on Android for password manager

Post by mhalley »

You can get a Bluetooth keyboard for $12 or so. Or type the complicated part of the pw on a pc and email it to yourself.
https://www.amazon.com/Bluetooth-Keyboa ... r=8-5&th=1
MrJones
Posts: 775
Joined: Sat Mar 18, 2017 2:23 am

Re: Entering password on Android for password manager

Post by MrJones »

It's not clear to me what the OP's actual problem is.

Is this for one time entry? If so, just hitting the eye icon to reveal what you're typing should help.
User avatar
starboi
Posts: 605
Joined: Fri Apr 23, 2021 11:33 am

Re: Entering password on Android for password manager

Post by starboi »

Enable dictation?
Topic Author
TheGreyingDuke
Posts: 2219
Joined: Fri Sep 02, 2011 10:34 am

Re: Entering password on Android for password manager

Post by TheGreyingDuke »

Apparently, when I switched to this Pixel 7 a week or two ago, the setting in BitWarden turned off biometric unlocking, one issue resolved. But now the somewhat flaky fingerprint reader on the phone fails to record and after a try or two BitWarden enforces a waiting period. Probably doesn't help that I have some calloused fingers
"Every time I see an adult on a bicycle, I no longer despair for the future of the human race." H.G. Wells
gavinsiu
Posts: 4541
Joined: Sun Nov 14, 2021 11:42 am

Re: Entering password on Android for password manager

Post by gavinsiu »

TheGreyingDuke wrote: Thu Dec 08, 2022 2:16 pm Apparently, when I switched to this Pixel 7 a week or two ago, the setting in BitWarden turned off biometric unlocking, one issue resolved. But now the somewhat flaky fingerprint reader on the phone fails to record and after a try or two BitWarden enforces a waiting period. Probably doesn't help that I have some calloused fingers
You can setup multiple fingers. I end up registering a non-index finger. For some reason, my index finger gets heavy use and can't be reliably register with my finger. The reader can be affected by moisture. If your finger is too dry, it will also fail.

The reader vary a lot in quality. The Huawei phone I used a few years ago had the best one, it rarely fail. The Pixel one is OK. The one from on Apple ipad and iphone are terrible.
Topic Author
TheGreyingDuke
Posts: 2219
Joined: Fri Sep 02, 2011 10:34 am

Re: Entering password on Android for password manager

Post by TheGreyingDuke »

Thanks for all the help, I nuked the bitwarden account (I have a more up to date array in LastPass), opened a new account, re-did my fingerprint with Android, re-imported everything from Last Pass and it looks to be good to go.
"Every time I see an adult on a bicycle, I no longer despair for the future of the human race." H.G. Wells
Post Reply