Google Password Autofill - Secure? or switch to ?

adeyo

Recently i've been seeing a google popup that i've never seen before in Vanadium -it's asking me if i want to sign in and it shows my gmail address. I made a point of NEVER signing into to anything google on this profile (my work profile requires google app store, so it's isolated to that profile). One time i signed into a gmail using icognito mode (quite possibly, i failed to do incognito?). This caused me to probe and i noticed none of my passwords autofill unless i use "autofill w/ google passwords". I want to COMPLETELY de-google. Does this mean google may have access to my passwords using autofill in vanadium? If so, what service should i download to reliably manage passwords WITHOUT google involved AND can i somehow backup and switch to new password manager and remove that annoying popup without wiping all of my data?? (I'm assuming that if I toggle to "Autofill using another service" i need to install something like proton pass or something in it's place? Please help! I want to COMPLETELY de-google and thought I had :(

GrapheneOS

adeyo Vanadium does not use a Google service for autofill itself. It can use Google Play's autofill service if it's available. You're misunderstanding the configuration. It does not mean what you think it does. Without Google Play, it means it only uses the built-in password manager.

DeletedUser87

I'm sorry to disappoint you, but installing Play Services doesn't make the OS degoogled. Autofill with Google is only available in a user profile when Play Services are installed. Otherwise, it is impossible that you will get these pop-ups. If you want a good password manager, my (and many others') recommendation is Bitwarden. When you install it, you can set it as default for the profile it's installed in in Settings -> Passwords, Passkeys [...], Preferred service. They have free tiers for accounts or can be selfhosted on your own hardware, if you want to keep your data in your own hands.

adeyo

DeletedUser87 Thank you for responding. However, I have never installed play services on the primary profile. Actually, as I look just now under GrapheneOS's 'App Store' (ie app folder that shows the few apps installed), I show the ability TO install Google Play Services but I do not have it installed. (Nor do i have the available android auto, or markup installed. It just shows they are available to install. I ONLY show the black/white GrapheneOS icons: App Store, Auditor, Camera, Info, PDF Viewer, Vanadium and the purple Accresent App's installed. Could this be happening from within Vanadium itself??
EDIT: if i go in the app settings drawer, out of my 93 apps, i scroll down to Google and see 3 google items all listed as "Not installed for this user"
EDIT 2: in my work profile (which is a secondary profile) i HAVE installed google play, but never signed in. I have use aurora to install a few work apps. Microsoft, Salesforce etc ...but again, if i click on the play store, i have never signed in but google play services IS installed for required work apps.

DeletedUser87

adeyo I can't tell you how you got to this point. I just tried to recreate it (for example by not having Play Services in owner profile) and even when setting Autofill Services to "Log in with Google" within Vanadium, I can't get any pop-ups. What does it say in Settings -> Passwords, Passkeys and account -> Preferred service for you?

adeyo

DeletedUser87 Thank you for helping look into this! To be clear, this ONLY started happening after i signed into a gmail account via the browser vanadium only. (and after a recent update, coincidentally as well).

As far as Settings -> Passwords, Passkeys and account, under preferred service it says, "None Selected" and under Accounts for Owner i see nothing but the + Add Account option. At the bottom, I have selected the option "Automatically sync app data/Let apps refresh data automatically" ....which leads me to believe it's ONLY in the vanadium browser. That if i back up and export all my passwords, wipe data entirely (will my desktop bookmarks still point to the location?) and then move away from Autofill with Google to "Autofill using another service" ...AND, i never sign in again to gmail on vanadium under this profile.....that maybe i've successfully "degoogled". I never had this issue for over a year until a recent update though and after signing into gmail via the browser.

adeyo

adeyo Really though, i think i was caught off guard and didn't like that Vanadium "Autofill with Google" was ON. ...I'm assuming that it is built into 'chrome' (ie vanadium) and simply the default. I just don't trust how google uses data and don't like that they may have access to my passwords/autofill. I'm just wanting to get away from that finally, hence grapheneOS to begin with!

DeletedUser87

adeyo then it might be that "Autofill services" is misconfigured for you. There's the option to use the system service (what is set under "Preferred service" in settings) and "Log in with Google". Check your Vanadium settings, that's the only way I can explain it.