Best way to manage combined upgrade from individual accounts to family, tricky situation...

Ashiado
Ashiado
Community Member
edited September 2019 in Families

Hello,

I am getting ready to upgrade from 1Password 6.8.9 to v.7, as well as from 4 individual plans to one combined family plan. I will be the "organizer" for our family group, which includes my husband and two elderly parents.

We all are using Apple devices - Macs and iPhones/iPads. I am the family techie — I always updated everyone's stuff. So far, all of us have had individual standalone installations of 1P. I am trying to figure out the best way to manage the upgrade for all of us, but the shift to version 7 is going to be a bit tricky and I'd like some advice about how to go about it.

Why it's tricky:
1) We don't all live in the same place, not even the same country.
2) My husband and I have been syncing our 1P data via WLAN server, whereas our elderly parents have been syncing with iCloud.
3) From comments I'm reading here, it sounds like v.7 will not be compatible with Mac OS Catalina. Although I could potentially do the update for my husband and me before Mac OS Catalina is released (he and I are in the same place), this is going to be difficult if not impossible to do in time for our elderly parents, because they have multiple devices and I will need to do any upgrades for them in person. (We're not scheduled to see each other for another 4-5 months.) They can usually manage their own iOS and OS updates, but a 1Password update would be something else.

Questions:
1) I've seen the 1P upgrade directions, but I'm really concerned about the fact that I won't be able to upgrade all of us at about the same time. Can I set up 1P v.7 for two of us and then add the other two later?
2) Do our elderly parents need to delay all upgrades to Mac OS Catalina until after 1P v.7 is able to be installed on their devices? (It will be a disaster if they unexpectedly lose access to their passwords.)
3) With 1P v.7, is it possible to configure different sync options for different family members? Also - is syncing via WLAN server still even an option with v.7?
4) Is it possible for a specific family member to grant the 1P family organizer access to their personal vault? Or is shared access only possible in connection with the shared family vault where all in the family have the same access?
5) Lastly, all of our existing versions of 1P were purchased through the Mac App store. If we want to combine and go with a family plan, does it make a difference whether we buy 1P through the App Store or through the Agilebits website? Are there advantages or disadvantages one way or the other?

Thanks in advance for your help with these questions!


1Password Version: 6.8.9
Extension Version: 4.7.5.90
OS Version: 10.14.6
Sync Type: WLAN / iCloud

Comments

  • Corey_C
    Corey_C
    Community Member

    Hi there @Ashiado

    I'm not quite sure where you got the idea that 1Password 7 will not be compatible with 10.15 Catalina as that is certainly not the case. 1Password 7 is the current version of 1Password and will support the most current version of macOS until a successor is released. As a security company, we do not want give anyone a reason to not upgrade something as critical as their operating system.

    So, let's get to the rest of these questions.

    I've seen the 1P upgrade directions, but I'm really concerned about the fact that I won't be able to upgrade all of us at about the same time. Can I set up 1P v.7 for two of us and then add the other two later?

    Of course, you can invite them to join the family membership at any time. There is no particular rush. They can continue what they are doing for now and you can upgrade them when you are ready.

    Do our elderly parents need to delay all upgrades to Mac OS Catalina until after 1P v.7 is able to be installed on their devices? (It will be a disaster if they unexpectedly lose access to their passwords.)

    I don't see a particular reason why they would need to. 1Password 6 is a 64-bit application, so there is no reason to think it won't work. Of course, whenever doing something major like an OS upgrade, backups are always a good idea. If they have been syncing their data to iCloud, though, there shouldn't be a problem as they can always grab it from there if need be.

    With 1P v.7, is it possible to configure different sync options for different family members? Also - is syncing via WLAN server still even an option with v.7?

    You are planning on switching to a Family membership, correct? In the case of a membership, syncing is handled entirely by 1Password itself. There's no need for separate sync options or services as it is all taken care of for you. That's one of the major benefits of membership.

    Is it possible for a specific family member to grant the 1P family organizer access to their personal vault? Or is shared access only possible in connection with the shared family vault where all in the family have the same access?

    It is not possible to grant anyone access to anyone else's Personal vault. However you can create any number of additional vaults you wish and share them (or not share them) with anyone else in the Family. For example, you can have one vault that's only shared between you and your husband, one that's between you and your parents, one that's between your husband and his parents, whatever you choose.

    Lastly, all of our existing versions of 1P were purchased through the Mac App store. If we want to combine and go with a family plan, does it make a difference whether we buy 1P through the App Store or through the Agilebits website? Are there advantages or disadvantages one way or the other?

    It doesn't much matter. Another one of the joys of 1Password membership is not having to worry about which version of 1Password you got from where as you can use either one.

  • Ashiado
    Ashiado
    Community Member
    edited September 2019

    Hi and thanks so much for your response.

    On one important point I had a typo that led to a misunderstanding (sorry!): My question/concern is that 1P version 6 (standalone purchased through the App Store, not subscription) — which is what is currently installed on all 4 of our computers — will not be compatible with Mac OS 10.15 when it comes out in October 2019. (At the beginning of my message I wrote v.6, but then later mentioned v.7 -- I meant v.6.)

    If it is true that v.6 will not be compatible with OS 10.15, then it seems that all 4 of us would need to upgrade to 1P version 7 before any of us can do a system update to OS 10.15. This is the basis of the various concerns I described in my message. But if 1P version 6 will in fact be compatible with OS 10.15, then this makes the whole situation much more relaxed and it will become easier for us to manage the upgrade to 1P v.7 over the next period of time.

    Could you please clarify the point about 1P version 6 compatibility? I do understand that 1P v.7 is compatible with OS 10.15. Thanks!

  • AGAlumB
    AGAlumB
    1Password Alumni

    On one important point I had a typo that led to a misunderstanding (sorry!): My question/concern is that 1P version 6 (standalone purchased through the App Store, not subscription) — which is what is currently installed on all 4 of our computers — will not be compatible with Mac OS 10.15

    @Ashiado: Ah, yes, that makes more sense. While I am not aware of any issues with 1Password 6 on Catalina, it's still too early to say (since very few people are using Catalina at all, much less with an outdated version of 1Password).

    If it is true that v.6 will not be compatible with OS 10.15, then it seems that all 4 of us would need to upgrade to 1P version 7 before any of us can do a system update to OS 10.15.

    That is not the case. Updating 1Password is much easier than updating the OS. 1Password 7 is essentially a drop-in upgrade: it uses the existing data from 1Password 6, just a newer version of the app (which is separate from the data).

    This is the basis of the various concerns I described in my message. But if 1P version 6 will in fact be compatible with OS 10.15, then this makes the whole situation much more relaxed and it will become easier for us to manage the upgrade to 1P v.7 over the next period of time.

    I would just make a bootable backup of the Mac before updating 1Password or the OS, update to Catalina, and then update 1Password if you encounter issues with version 6, or when you're ready -- whichever comes first. If you do encounter trouble of any kind, you'll have the backup to boot from or restore while you sort out any issues.

    Could you please clarify the point about 1P version 6 compatibility? I do understand that 1P v.7 is compatible with OS 10.15. Thanks!

    Significantly, given that it was discontinued more than a year ago, 1Password 6 will not be updated for compatibility with later OS (and browser: Safari 13 will not work with it) releases (which are important for security anyway). So moving to 1Password 7 is a good idea. But it is unlikely that you'll be "under the gun", so to speak. The only likely roadblock short term will be Safari 13, and you can always just use another browser which is compatible with 1Password 6 temporarily before you upgrade to version 7.

    I hope this helps. Be sure to let me know if you have any other questions! :)

  • Ashiado
    Ashiado
    Community Member

    Thank you very much -- that is a big relief to hear. :) :)

    One last question: With v.7, is web-only access to a specific vault possible? For example, if — theoretically — my computer got lost or stolen, would I be able to log into the 1P website to access my passwords? And if so, is there 2FA for this cloud access? how is the data additionally secured beyond just my login and master password?

  • AGAlumB
    AGAlumB
    1Password Alumni

    Thank you very much -- that is a big relief to hear. :) :)

    @Ashiado: You're very welcome! :chuffed:

    One last question: With v.7, is web-only access to a specific vault possible? For example, if — theoretically — my computer got lost or stolen, would I be able to log into the 1P website to access my passwords?

    I don't think I understand the "specific vault" part of the question, but you can access the data in your account using a web browser if necessary -- though I think the 1Password apps are much nicer to use. :)

    And if so, is there 2FA for this cloud access?

    1Password memberships have an optional two-factor authentication feature you can use, which requires a one-time password whenever you sign in for the first time to the app or in a browser.

    how is the data additionally secured beyond just my login and master password?

    The data in a 1Password account is encrypted using both the Master Password the user chooses and the Secret Key, which is randomly generated on the device during signup. Neither of those are ever sent to us, and both are needed to sign in, and decrypt the data (which is only done locally on your device as well).

  • Ashiado
    Ashiado
    Community Member

    Great, thanks again :)

  • AGAlumB
    AGAlumB
    1Password Alumni

    Any time! :) :+1:

This discussion has been closed.