Google splits Sign-in process into two pages
If you have signed in to your Google account on the Gmail website or other Google properties recently you may have noticed that the sign-in process has changed.
Google split the sign-in process so that it is a two-step process now instead of a single one.
The first page asks for your email address but not the password. You need to click on next first to load the page where you can enter your Google account password to complete it.
If you are already known on the computer, the first step is skipped and you are taken to the second step of the authentication process instead. There you find listed the email address of the account and the profile picture of the account or the default one.
Previously, both the username (usually an email address) and password were entered on the same page.
You are probably wondering why Google made the change. According to a post on the official Gmail help forum, for the following reasons:
- Reduced confusion among people who have multiple Google accounts.
- In preparation for future authentication solutions.
- To improve the experience for SAML SSO users.
While Google wants you to believe that this is not a step back but a step forward in terms of user experience, responses on the official Gmail help forum have been mostly negative.
User complaints concentrate on several different aspects. First, the sign-in process takes longer to complete as it is now separated on two pages. Even if you use a single account only, you have to go through the same process as multi-account customers.
While the process may require the same number of clicks to sign-in, it breaks the flow for users who used the keyboard (tab-key) to switch between fields to login.
Second, the new process breaks most password managers which cannot fill out form information automatically anymore or sign you in automatically. At least some password managers will update their programs or offer solutions for the new Google sign-in process.
LastPass, makers of the popular online password manager, have posted instructions already that explain how to configure the program to take the new flow into account. Basically, users need to remove the Google account from the vault first and use the password managers "Save all entered data" feature afterwards to add it again to it.
KeePass users who use the program's Auto-Type feature may use the Delay command, e.g. {Delay 1500} to take the process into account, e.g. {Username}{Enter}{Delay 1500}{Password}{Enter}. The delay pauses the process (in milliseconds) to take the page loading time into account.
The reasons that Google give are debatable at best. One does not apply yet as the future authentication solutions are not available yet that Google refers to. As far as confusion among multi-account owners is concerned, it would be interesting to see statistics about that and the same is true for SAML SSO users.
Even if you take both user groups together and assume all benefit from the change, it is likely that the merged group is not as large as all single-account owners.
Now You: What's your take on the change?
Martin, I would appreciate that you do not censor this post, as it’s informative writing.
Onur, there is a misleading statement “[…] GIFs are animated images …”. No, obviously you don’t seem to have take much notice of what you were told back in March regarding; Graphics Interchange Format (GIF).
For example, https://www.ghacks.net/2023/03/31/whats-gif-explanation-and-how-to-use-it/#comment-4562919 (if you had read my replies within that thread, you might have learnt something useful). I even mentioned, “GIF intrinsically supports animated images (GIF89a)”.
You linked to said article, [Related: …] within this article, but have somehow failed to take onboard what support you were given by several more knowledgeable people.
If you used AI to help write this article, it has failed miserably.
AI is stupid, and it will not get any better if we really know how this all works. Prove me wrong.. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4IYl1sTIOHI
Martin, [#comment-4569908] is only meant to be in: [https://www.ghacks.net/2023/07/09/how-to-send-gifs-on-iphone-two-different-ways/]. Whereas it appears duplicated in several recent random low-quality non relevant articles.
Obviously it [#comment-4569908] was posted: 9 July 2023. Long before this thread even existed… your database is falling over. Those comments are supposed to have unique ID values. It shouldn’t be possible to duplicate the post ID, if the database had referential integrity.
Don’t tell me!
Ghacks wants the state to step in for STATE-MANDATED associations to save jobs!!!
Bring in the dictatorship!!!
And screw Rreedom of Association – too radical for Ghacks maybe
GateKeeper ?
That’s called “appointing” businesses to do the state’s dirty work!!!!!
But the article says itself that those appointed were not happy – implying they had not choice!!!!!!
@The Dark Lady,
@KeZa,
@Database failure,
@Howard Pearce,
@Howard Allan Pearce,
Note: I replaced the quoted URI scheme: https:// with “>>” and posted.
The current ghacks.net is owned by “Softonic International S.A.” (sold by Martin in October 2019), and due to the fate of M&A, ghacks.net has changed in quality.
>> ghacks.net/2023/09/02/microsoft-is-removing-wordpad-from-windows/#comment-4573130
Many Authors of bloggers and advertisers certified by Softonic have joined the site, and the site is full of articles aimed at advertising and clickbait.
>> ghacks.net/2023/08/31/in-windows-11-the-line-between-legitimate-and-adware-becomes-increasingly-blurred/#comment-4573117
As it stands, except for articles by Martin Brinkmann, Mike Turcotte, and Ashwin, they are low quality, unhelpful, and even vicious. It is better not to read those articles.
How to display only articles by a specific author:
Added line to My filters in uBlock Origin: ghacks.net##.hentry,.home-posts,.home-category-post:not(:has-text(/Martin Brinkmann|Mike Turcotte|Ashwin/))
>> ghacks.net/2023/09/01/windows-11-development-overview-of-the-august-2023-changes/#comment-4573033
By the way, if you use an RSS reader, you can track exactly where your comments are (I’m an iPad user, so I use “Feedly Classic”, but for Windows I prefer the desktop app “RSS Guard”).
RSS Guard: Feed reader which supports RSS/ATOM/JSON and many web-based feed services.
>> github.com/martinrotter/rssguard#readme
We all live in digital surveillance glass houses under scrutiny of evil people because of people like Musk. It’s only fair that he takes his turn.
“Operating systems will be required to let the user choose the browser, virtual assistant and search engine of their choice. Microsoft cannot force users to use Bing or Edge. Apple will have to open up its iOS operating system to allow third-party app stores, aka allow sideloading of apps. Google, on the other hand, will need to provide users with the ability to uninstall preloaded apps (bloatware) from Android devices. Online services will need to allow users to unsubscribe from their platform easily. Gatekeepers need to provide interoperability with third-parties that offer similar services.”
Wonderful ! Let’s hope they’ll comply with that law more than they are doing with the GDPR.
No, they didn’t lmao.
https://twitter.com/vxunderground/status/1706523877478670542