I’ve been using Bitwarden for about six weeks after deciding I could not stay with LastPass, and I’m very happy with the decision. I spend more time using my Windows 10 computer than I do with my Android phone and tablet. A number of websites I access via my PC also have apps that I access on my Android devices. The piece of information I am missing is how the Android apps can use the credentials that I’ve stored in Bitwarden and which I use for web access. After a fair amount of searching and reading, I think the answer is to use multiple URI’s in a Bitwarden entry - one for the website URL and another for the app. Is there a clear explanation somewhere of how a URI for an Android app is constructed or created?
Since posting the above, I’ve done more reading and experimenting. I’ve obtained what I believe are correct Android URI’s for two of my apps and stored them in Bitwarden. However, when running both of those apps, nothing appears asking me to login using the Bitwarden info, even though I have unlocked the BW vault. Is androidapp:// required at the beginning of these URI’s?
See if this helps:
Thank you, grb. I have just read that reference material carefully and observe the following:
I have obtained the URI info for one of the apps by using the Play Store - Share technique and have placed androidapp:// in front of it. I have specified Default match detection.
When I look at the Bitwarden entry for this app, I see two URI’s - one for the website URL and the one I just created for the app. Tapping the launch icon for the website works and logs me into the associated account. I get no response when tapping the launch icon for the app. If it matters, there is no word or component in the first URI that is the same as those in the second URI.
If I launch the app directly, I see nothing that indicates any involvement by Bitwarden. What should I try next?
I should warn that I do not use the mobile apps myself, so I am not the best person to help with this.
What is the default URI match detection method configured in your settings? The documentation describes mainly how the different options work for a an http:// or https:// scheme URL, so it’s unclear how the Base Domain matching method (the default method, unless you’ve changed it) and the others work when it comes to a mobile app URI. I would suggest maybe setting the match detection to Host, Exact or Starts With for the androidapp:// URI, as a test.
This “tapping” was done on your Android phone, correct? If so, I would think it should launch the app, so hopefully someone else can help you troubleshoot.
There are some hoops that have to be jumped through to get auto-filling to work on Android. See here for a starting point, but maybe some Android user will come along and give you more direct advice.
This won’t help with the launching problem, but there is an alternative approach to setting up a single login item to work on both websites and mobile apps (other than defining two URIs in the login items, which is what you’re doing now). If you go to the Account Settings section of the Web Vault, there is a page called Domain Rules where you can define custom equivalent domains (for example, by defining an equivalence of twitter.com, androidapp://com.twitter.android).
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I am still having little success in using Bitwarden with Android apps, and no Android users have shown up here to offer advice. grb admits to not being a mobile app user. A related question: Are there ever instances of Bitwarden and an app working together without my having to explicitly define a URI for the app, or is that always a requirement? It has been a while since I left LastPass, but I recall some apps working with it when I did nothing to cause that to happen.
@Jimshoot - I’m an Android user and I frequently use the Bitwarden Android App to fill in usernames and passwords. What phone and version of Android are you using? Do you have all the Bitwarden Auto-fill options turned on?
What are some Android Apps that you are trying to use with Bitwarden? Also, have you found that the troubleshooting guide (see below) that @grb pointed out helpful?
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@Jimshoot I use the auto-fill service and the inline autofill mode on Android 13. The BW app is reasonable at guessing which apps go with which URLs (even ones that aren’t explicitly configured as URIs in the entry).
There are some differences though on the Android front that depend a great deal on which Android version you’re using.
I noticed you started exploring and experimenting - which is awesome - but to make sure we’re starting from a good foundation can you confirm you’ve completed the steps here? And, if so, which modes and Android version you’re using autofill on?
@RogerDodger and @jtr, thank you for the good references. I’ve read the material and have had some success. My phone is a Samsung Galaxy S10 running Android 12, and I’ve turned on Auto-fill for Bitwarden. I’ve put URI’s into Bitwarden for several Android apps, and auto-fill is working for a large national bank, a large well-known insurance company and my cable provider. The app for a local credit union doesn’t give me an opportunity to auto-fill with Bitwarden, but maybe it’s their deficiency. There is still one thing that isn’t working for any app that I’ve tried. If I start with Bitwarden and tap the launch icon for the URI that references the website, that website opens in a browser. But if I tap the launch icon for the app URI, there is no response, and the app does not launch. Perhaps I’ve missed something.
This works as it should for me. However, I using a Pixel 5a running Android 13, so that may make a difference. I did find that somebody with a similar configuration to you that is having the same issue:
At this point, you should probable contact support and see if they agree that it is a bug:
Hi Jimshoot. - i am the one that RogerDodger mentioned above about also not being able to launch android apps from the URI button. It use to work and then stopped working for all my android apps.
I never did figure out what the issue was. However, I never did open a ticket with support about the issue. Since I didnt see anyone else having the same issue. I figured it was something wrong with my phone and support wouldnt be able to help. Atleast now I know its not just me.
EDIT: Just noticed you have a Samsung S10. I have a Samsung S10+. Maybe it is a specicfic issue with Samsung S10 phones.
Hi @DIDS. I am fairly new to Bitwarden and did not experience a time in the past when it worked on my phone. I also see the problem on my Galaxy Tab S6 tablet running Android 12. I just contacted support as @RogerDodger suggested.
It’s probably time for us to get new phones, as no more Android updates are coming to the S10 line. I’m starting to look at the S23.
“Hey there! So you’ve made the switch to Bitwarden huh? Nice choice! I completely agree that it’s a great alternative to LastPass. Now, as for your question about using credentials stored in Bitwarden with Android apps, you’re kinda on the right track. Most likely, you’ll need to add an app’s custom URI (Uniform Resource Identifier) to your Bitwarden entry in addition to the website URL. To construct a URI for an Android app, you first need to find the correct package name. Try browsing the app’s page on Google Play Store and look at the URL for the string that comes after “id=”. For example, if the URL is “play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.example.app”, then “com.example.app” is what you’ll use as your URI for Bitwarden.
On a side note, your question just reminded me of a cool guide I stumbled upon recently talking about how to make money on audible amazon. You might find it interesting too! Good luck with Bitwarden, and feel free to ask if you need more help!”