Password protection removing fillable form fields

I did a whole bunch of testing today. Using an open-only password allowed me to view the form fields in Adobe, and the script reported all the fields I had put in. When I opened it outside of Adobe in Edge, there were no form fields to see. When I added editing permissions, Edge had no form fields viewable. I have the Adobe extension in Chrome, which seemed to work fine. When I deactivated the extension, Chrome opened it fine, using only the password to open it, not the password to make changes. Thankfully, it allowed the fields to be filled in and the document downloaded, which kept the setting requiring the password to open. I was hoping to enable anyone I sent it to open in whatever their favorite reader, fill it in, and return it. Do you think that may still be possible, or will my only recourse be Chrome and instructions on how to open, fill, save, and return it?