Chrome on Android 15 to let you redact sensitive data when screen-sharing
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Key notes
- Android 15 will include a feature to redact sensitive data during screen sharing on Chrome.
- Activated by a flag in Chrome beta, it hides sensitive info like passwords and credit cards.
- Google is also improving privacy features like incognito tab switching and Safety Check on Chrome.
As Google is preparing to launch the stable version of Android 15 OS to the public after beta testing, the company is adding a capability to redact sensitive data when you’re doing a screen-share on the upcoming Android OS to Chrome.
The upcoming OS version introduces a feature internally known as “sensitive content protection”, which helps users to share their screens confidently without compromising privacy. Google is now integrating this into Chrome on Android (sort of), which requires Android V or later to work.
A flag to activate this feature is seen in the latest Chrome beta version as spotted by @Leopeva64 which we’ve independently verified.
The flag reads, “When enabled, if sensitive form fields (such as credit cards, passwords) are present on the page, the entire content area is redacted during screen sharing, screen recording, and similar actions. This feature works only on Android V or later.”
This commit message also reveals how Google is adding such a feature to Chrome on Android. The message reads, “Add sensitive_content/features.[cc|h]’. This CL creates feature files for sensitive_content, and also adds a new feature. The feature is exposed via a flag in both Chrome and WebView.”
In fact, it’s not the only privacy-centric feature that Google has been working on in recent weeks.
A little while ago, we’ve also reported that Google is making incognito tab switching a lot easier on Chrome for Android as well as upgrading Android’s Safety Check feature on Chrome for mobile after its desktop version.