There's a new button on the sign-in and sign-up pages, and it does exactly what it says: Sign in with Google. One tap, pick your Google account, and you're in — no code to wait for, no inbox to dig through, no password to invent and immediately forget. Whether you're a brand-new member or you've been ranking movies here since the beta badge days, here's what the new option does, how it handles every situation (new account, existing account, connecting later), and what we do — and pointedly don't do — with your Google information.

The fastest door into MovieNight yet

MovieNight has never had traditional passwords. From day one, signing in meant typing your email and waiting for a one-time code or magic link to arrive — safer than a reused password, but it did involve a round trip to your inbox, and we all know that code sometimes takes its sweet time while your popcorn gets cold. Sign in with Google removes the round trip entirely. Because Google has already verified who you are (you're signed into your Google account on your phone or browser right now, most likely), we can trust that verification and let you straight in. The whole flow takes about two seconds: tap the button, pick your account from Google's chooser, land on your profile. That's it.

It works identically on the installed app, mobile Safari, and your desktop browser — and if you just added MovieNight to your home screen after last week's install feature, the pairing is genuinely great: tap the icon, tap Google, and you're checking off tonight's movie before the trailers finish.

New here? Google is now the quickest way to join

If you don't have a MovieNight account yet, the Google button on the sign-up page creates one for you on the spot. We take the basics from your Google profile — your name and email address — and skip the parts you'd normally have to do by hand. Best of all, there's no email verification step: Google has already confirmed you own that address, so you don't have to prove it again to us. You go from "never heard of MovieNight" to building your Seen list in under ten seconds, and the only thing left to do is accept the terms and pick a username.

Already have an account? It just links up

This is the part we sweated the details on, because nobody wants a surprise second account. If you already have a MovieNight account and you tap Sign in with Google, here's what happens: we look at the email address on your Google account, and if it matches the email on your existing MovieNight account, we link them and sign you into your existing account — same profile, same rankings, same badges, same everything. No duplicate account, no lost data, no "wait, where did my lists go?" moment. From then on, both doors work: you can keep using the emailed code any time you like, or use the Google button when you're in a hurry. They're two keys to the same lock.

Connecting (and disconnecting) from Settings

Prefer to set things up deliberately instead of at the sign-in screen? There's a new Accounts tab in your Settings. If you're already signed in, you can connect your Google account there with one click — same linking, just on your terms. You can also see exactly which sign-in methods are attached to your account and disconnect Google whenever you want. One sensible guardrail: we won't let you remove your last way of signing in. If Google is the only method on your account, you'll need to keep it connected until there's another way back in — locking yourself out of your own movie rankings would be a tragedy worthy of its own Face-Off bracket.

What we get from Google (and what we don't)

Privacy first, plainly stated. When you use Sign in with Google, Google shares exactly three things with us: your name, your email address, and your profile picture. That's the complete list. We never see your Google password — that's the whole point of the system, which is an industry standard called OAuth that you've used with countless other apps. We can't read your Gmail, we can't see your Drive, we can't touch your calendar, contacts, photos, or search history, and we can't post anything anywhere on your behalf. The permission screen Google shows you before connecting spells this out, and it matches what we just told you.

And to be equally plain about our side: we don't sell your data, we don't share your email with anyone, and connecting Google doesn't change any of that. The email address behaves exactly like one you'd type in yourself — it's how we know which account is yours, and it receives only the notifications you've opted into in Settings.

Why we built it

Two reasons, and we'll be honest about both. First, friction: every extra step between "I want to try this" and "I'm using it" loses people. We watched perfectly interested visitors bounce at the sign-up form, and the single biggest fix available was letting the account they already carry everywhere do the work. Second, security: fewer codes flying around inboxes means fewer chances for something to go wrong, and Google's account protection (two-factor, suspicious-login detection, the works) now effectively guards your MovieNight account too when you sign in that way. You inherit the security of one of the most heavily defended login systems on the internet, for free.

Google is the first provider we're supporting because it covers the most people, but the plumbing we built is provider-shaped, not Google-shaped — if there's demand for other sign-in options, adding them is straightforward. Tell us which ones you'd actually use.

Try it on your next visit

Next time you're signed out — or if you've been lurking without an account, tonight's the night — hit Sign In and tap the Google button. New members get an account in seconds; existing members get their same account with one less step forever after. Then go do something more fun with the time you saved: today's Guess the Movie is waiting, and your streak isn't going to protect itself.