Is your feature request related to a problem? Please describe.
Since Android Password Store moved away from OpenKeychain to the built-in PGPainless implementation, support for external OpenPGP providers and hardware OpenPGP tokens (such as YubiKey) has been lost.
For users who keep their private keys on hardware tokens, there is currently no way to use Android Password Store with those keys. This limits one of the major security benefits of OpenPGP smart cards: keeping private keys non-exportable.
Describe the solution you'd like
I would like Android Password Store to support external OpenPGP providers again through the OpenPGP Provider API.
A new project, PGPonyAndroid, now implements the same API that OpenKeychain used to provide. Supporting this API again would allow Android Password Store to work with both providers:
- OpenKeychain (for users who still rely on it)
- PGPonyAndroid (an actively developed alternative with features such as hardware token/YubiKey support)
This would restore support for users who keep their private keys on OpenPGP smart cards, while also avoiding dependence on a single provider implementation.
Describe alternatives you've considered
The current built-in PGPainless implementation works well for software-based keys, but it does not support hardware OpenPGP tokens.
Continuing to use OpenKeychain is another option, but it has seen very little development in recent years.
PGPonyAndroid appears to be a modern implementation of the same OpenPGP Provider API, making it a potential alternative without introducing a new integration interface. Supporting the provider API would also avoid tying Android Password Store to a single external implementation.
Additional context
PGPonyAndroid project: https://github.com/norsehorse-dev/PGPonyAndroid
Recent releases added support for the OpenPGP Provider API (IOpenPgpService2) for compatibility with applications that previously integrated with OpenKeychain. According to the release notes, this includes compatibility with clients such as Thunderbird for Android, K-9 Mail, FairEmail, and Password Store.
Supporting the OpenPGP Provider API would benefit more than a single application. It would allow Android Password Store to work with multiple compatible provider implementations instead of depending on one specific project.
P.S. I'm not affiliated with PGPonyAndroid in any way. I just discovered the project, tested it, and thought it would be a valuable option for Android Password Store users.
Is your feature request related to a problem? Please describe.
Since Android Password Store moved away from OpenKeychain to the built-in PGPainless implementation, support for external OpenPGP providers and hardware OpenPGP tokens (such as YubiKey) has been lost.
For users who keep their private keys on hardware tokens, there is currently no way to use Android Password Store with those keys. This limits one of the major security benefits of OpenPGP smart cards: keeping private keys non-exportable.
Describe the solution you'd like
I would like Android Password Store to support external OpenPGP providers again through the OpenPGP Provider API.
A new project, PGPonyAndroid, now implements the same API that OpenKeychain used to provide. Supporting this API again would allow Android Password Store to work with both providers:
This would restore support for users who keep their private keys on OpenPGP smart cards, while also avoiding dependence on a single provider implementation.
Describe alternatives you've considered
The current built-in PGPainless implementation works well for software-based keys, but it does not support hardware OpenPGP tokens.
Continuing to use OpenKeychain is another option, but it has seen very little development in recent years.
PGPonyAndroid appears to be a modern implementation of the same OpenPGP Provider API, making it a potential alternative without introducing a new integration interface. Supporting the provider API would also avoid tying Android Password Store to a single external implementation.
Additional context
PGPonyAndroid project: https://github.com/norsehorse-dev/PGPonyAndroid
Recent releases added support for the OpenPGP Provider API (IOpenPgpService2) for compatibility with applications that previously integrated with OpenKeychain. According to the release notes, this includes compatibility with clients such as Thunderbird for Android, K-9 Mail, FairEmail, and Password Store.
Supporting the OpenPGP Provider API would benefit more than a single application. It would allow Android Password Store to work with multiple compatible provider implementations instead of depending on one specific project.
P.S. I'm not affiliated with PGPonyAndroid in any way. I just discovered the project, tested it, and thought it would be a valuable option for Android Password Store users.