Why so difficult and confusing?

My sister has just 'tangled' herself in a knot.

She contacted me, asking me to 'fix' a problem that she said, appeared after she upgraded 1Password. As she tells me.

"1password did an update a couple of weeks or so ago and now I keep getting these pop ups on everything that I try to log into? Do you get the same ill send the screenshot"

I recognized it immediately. I've been through this long tedious process myself, some time ago. Finding myself suddenly having to 'open' 1Password twice or three times... getting annoyed not knowing what was happening.

As someone who pays for and manages the 'Family Subscription' we have, it is up to me, to help family spread out in remote locations, on how to manage 1Password.

What I really don't understand, is 'why' or 'how' this whole 1Password X implementation has been handled so badly? I think it is only a couple of years old maybe?

Why are 'novices' allowed to install this....... 'extension'? 'application'?... (what exactly is it?) into their browsers, and thereby tie their knickers in a knot?

All of a sudden, there is this 'double' login process. It is confusing, annoying, and requires a whole lot of wasted time and effort, to 'fix'!!

I myself had to go looking through reams of help files, web pages, not even knowing what I was looking for... (because I didn't understand what 1Password X was) before finally calling "Uncle" and then going onto the support page, creating a ticket, waiting for a reply, and getting an answer some 3 or 4 days later. (we are in the Southern Hemisphere time zone).

1Password installs as an application on Mac. There is also a menu icon, and on top of that, it is possible to install a browser extension. Then, one day, I install a new browser, and go looking for the extension, and somehow end up installing 1Password X.

All of a sudden, there are 4 places to go looking for one piece of information. On top of that, the 'menu' 1Password, doesn't even search 'everything', and there's been many a time, I've gone looking for what I know is there, only for the menu version to draw a blank. Then I have had to go to the gear icon and open the 'full' 1Password version to 'find' what I'm looking for. Unproductive and tedious.

Clearly, my sister has done what I did. Unintentionally installed 1Password X, not fully understanding, what it was or how it functions.

Don't get me wrong. I 'love' 1Password and what it does. There are many, many more benefits that outweigh these negatives. I understand that 'some' of the issues I face with the app are Operating System limitations. Using 1Password on a Windows machine for example is a whole 'other' exercise in frustration.

I don't think there has been nearly enough done, on differentiating between what 1Password X is - and what the browser extensions are.

If 1Password X really is "the best way to experience 1Password in your browser.".... why have a browser extension at all?


1Password Version: Not Provided
Extension Version: Not Provided
OS Version: Not Provided
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Referrer: forum-search:1Password X

Comments

  • ag_yaron
    ag_yaron
    1Password Alumni
    edited December 2020

    Hey @Tbanger9 ,

    We certainly understand how confusing this can all be, which is exactly why we're currently working on unifying the interface and experience of all our apps into one single experience that is identical across platforms.

    One of the steps we already took in that direction is to add the 1Password X interface into the Safari extension, which is why your sister suddenly has that new inline menu in the first screenshot. She didn't install any extension, she just let 1Password 7 on her Mac perform a routine update (which was a big one).

    However, the 1Password extension in Safari still works the same, and does connect to the 1Password 7 for Mac app, which means you only have to unlock 1Password once. You can unlock it via the Mac app, or you can unlock it via the browser like shown in your first screenshot, and both would unlock. That is definitely an improvement in the right direction.

    As for the general frustration with extensions - 1Password cannot interact with web pages without a mediator that lives in the browser itself. If we could do that, we definitely wouldn't need an extension! The extensions are what allow us to read the contents of a website, figure out what can/should be autofilled and, of course, allows us to inject your username/password into the appropriate fields on the website. Without the extensions 1Password would just be an app on your Mac that allows you to store passwords, without the option to autofill or interact with your browser.

    I do thank you for the feedback here, and I hope that the information I shared with you about our future is somewhat encouraging. Our documentation is also going to change accordingly once we accomplish the changes I mentioned above and hopefully the 1Password experience would be a lot easier and less confusing to everyone, no matter which computers/devices/extensions they use!

    If you have any further questions, I'll be happy to answer so feel free to ask.

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