Firefox Lockbox password manager now on Android

Web browsers have long offered the convenience of remembering the passwords you need to access websites and syncing them across all devices that the browser is available on. The problem, however, is when you need to log into mobile apps for the services whose passwords you have already stored on your browser. You could opt to migrate to a dedicated password manager or you could, instead, install Mozilla's Firefox Lockbox, its once experimental password manager that is now available for Android users.

Firefox Lockbox is a password manager technically. What makes it different from the likes of LastPass and 1Password is really a very niche feature. It integrates and syncs with Firefox so you won't have to move your passwords and form data over to a separate service. In other words, if you're already using Firefox on all devices, you might want to use Lockbox as well.

That allows Firefox Lockbox to have a "no setup" installation process, provided Firefox is already set up. Like any password manager, you can use biometrics like Face ID or fingerprint to protect access to the passwords themselves. It also autofills the password in mobile apps so you won't have to jump back and forth to copy and paste passwords.

What the app doesn't seem to do, which is one of the key features of dedicated password managers, is to actually generate strong passwords in the first place. This practically just makes it a separate app for accessing passwords stored on Mozilla's servers and nothing more.

Firefox Lockbox is one of those Pilot experiments that have graduated to become their own thing, like the recently launched Firefox Send. It was, almost ironically, available first only as an iOS app but now Firefox users can access the same experience on Android devices as well.