Keep your passwords secure with Dashlane for Windows, Mac and Android

Dashlane, Inc has launched Dashlane 2.0 for desktop and Dashlane for Android 2.0.1, major new updates of its secure password management tool that allows users to securely store sensitive personal details such as online passwords and credit card information via free desktop and mobile apps.

Both builds gain a complete new user interface, the promise of a "massive jump" in product quality and support for two-factor authentication via Google Authenticator. In addition the desktop build gains a new Security Dashboard feature, while the Android version expands support for tablets and adds in-app browsing.

The Dashlane 2.0 app for Windows and Mac opens with a brand new redesign with new color schemes and contrast levels designed to improve readability as well as the app’s overall look. It also comes with a brand new Security Dashboard feature offering a Security Score, which rates the user’s overall security based on the strength and variety of passwords used. Users also gain a simple list of steps to follow in order to improve the quality of their passwords to boost this Security Score.

Version 2.0 also promises much more intuitive use through support for two-step and three-field login screens as well as improving the overall auto-login and autofill process. In addition to these features, the desktop also adds another optional layer of security with support for Google Authenticator, allowing users to add two-factor authentication when logging into Dashlane to retrieve sensitive personal information.

Sadly there are still issues with version 2.0, most notably when attempting to import passwords from other sources, such as browser password managers and competing services such as LastPass and KeePass. These issues have been long a source of frustration for users, and in our experience have yet to be properly resolved as we struggled to migrate our LastPass passwords into Dashlane, eventually succeeding only by using Firefox as an intermediary using the Mac desktop app.

In the meantime, Dashlane for Android 2.0.1 introduces a number of major improvements and new features. It includes an in-app browser for the first time, allowing users to benefit from the same auto-login and autofill feature set found when using Dashlane on the desktop platform.

The app also adds full support for tablets and all screen sizes from a single universal app, while the UI has been completely overhauled using the Android Holo Interface. Support for two-factor authentication via Google Authenticator has also been implemented, which requires setting up via the desktop version before it can be used in the Android app.

All product features are completely free to use, but additional benefits, including support for auto-synchronization between devices, web access to logins and passwords, plus unlimited backup of encrypted data, can be purchased via a Premium license, which costs $19.99 annually.

Dashlane 2.0 is available as a freeware download for Windows and Mac, while Dashlane for Android 2.0.1 is also available free for phones and tablets running Android 2.3.3 or later. Also available is Dashlane 2.3.1 for iPhone.