Dropbox has quietly launched an invite-only password manager for iOS and Android (via Android Police). Called Dropbox Passwords, the app showed up on the App Store and Play Store over the weekend for download, but you still require an invite to be able to use it.
The beta stage app appears to use the same methods of encryption and cross-device syncing as popular password managers like 1Password, LastPass and Dashlane.
Interestingly Dropbox’s branding and descriptions do not describe it as a password manager, but that’s pretty much what it appears to be. Password managers are not sexy software but they are becoming an increasingly important tool that you really should pay for. Minimal monthly costs are worth the security they provide in generating, storing and autofilling passwords for all the services you use.
It’s unclear if Dropbox Passwords will be available when it’s fully released as a standalone service or if this is an app that will be offered to Dropbox subscribers. Dropbox was one of the first successful cloud storage companies but it has struggled in recent years with its consumer product, concentrating on business use. Competitors Google Drive, iCloud Drive and OneDrive have eaten Dropbox’s lunch, so we’ll keep an eye out to see if Dropbox Passwords puts the company on track with a decent consumer offering or if this ends up another business customer feature.
Author: Henry Burrell, Phones Editor
Henry is Tech Advisor’s Phones Editor, ensuring he and the team covers and reviews every smartphone worth knowing about for readers and viewers all over the world. He spends a lot of time moving between different handsets and shouting at WhatsApp to support multiple devices at once.