New "Share" functionality: explain to me how it works (and how it's better as it seems MUCH worse)
Today, I tried to share an item in my vault with my wife. For years I have used the share button in 1Password, and the basic behavior on the Mac and iOS has been the same—when messaging or using AirDrop, after a helpful "be aware when you share" dialog, she's prompted on her device to add the item to 1Password on her device.
The new share behavior seems like a step backwards in every way. I followed the instructions on this page, trying both the user path that sends a verification code to her email and the one that just requires the link. In both cases, the browser window that opens displays the relevant 1Password vault item, but with no way to add it to 1Password on her device.
I tried multiple browsers on both her computer and mine, and do not see a way to add the information to either the 1Password app or to 1Password.com when signed in to the service in the same browser.
A 1Password item has a lot of information in it; is the expectation that the person with whom I'm sharing is supposed to copy and paste all that information into 1Password from the browser window that opens?
We have a 1Password Families account. For a number of reasons, I do not want to put the item I'm sharing in a shared vault. I just want to share it directly.
This is something I've done dozens of times since I stared using 1Password back in 2008.
Am I missing something here?
1Password Version: 7.9.2
Extension Version: 7.9
OS Version: macOS 10.14 and 12.0.1; iOS 15
Comments
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Hello @celos! 👋
The new secure item sharing feature allows you to share items while keeping them protected with 1Password's end-to-end encryption. The drawback of the previous method was that it sent your items in plain text and unencrypted.
If you and your wife are both members of the same 1Password Families account then the best way to share items between family members is through a shared vault. Was there a reason why you don't want to use a shared vault? You can read more about shared vaults here: Share passwords with your family
If you don't want to use a shared vault then you can certainly use secure item sharing and your wife will be able to add the item to her account. When your wife opens a share link sent to her by you then she should see a Save in 1Password button beneath the item. It will look like this:
If she doesn't see this then please make sure that she has 1Password in the browser installed: Get started with 1Password in your browser
Let me know if that helps. :)
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Dave, thanks for replying. I decidedly do not have that dialog that allows me to "Save a copy for later". I just set up a brand new M1 MacBook Air, and installed 1Password on it, and I do not have that option. I don't see it on any of my other computers, either. This is what I see:
I tried it twice in the same browser, once when that browser was logged into my 1PW account, and once when not. It behaves the same way.
Any suggestions as to what might be preventing the behavior? (I am running 1Blocker, FWIW.)
To your question about shared vaults, there are two main things that I liked about the old behavior.
First, for long-time users, shifting to Shared Vaults is a few hour's work. I'd need to go through my Private vault and move a bunch of entries to a Shared Vault. Then on my wife's (and kids, for that matter) vaults, go through and remove any duplicates. To my knowledge the remove duplicates tool only works within a vault, not across vaults. If I'm wrong about that, let me know, as an automated method would make it more palatable. For someone who hasn't used 1PW for 10-plus years, this might not be a big deal.
Second, sharing via AirDrop is incredibly convenient and incredibly fast. I can understand the security concerns about sending 1PW items via email or SMS or other methods, and it's great you're saving people from themselves in that regard. But AirDrop seems reasonably secure, is local, and again, is incredibly fast. Select the item and share it with someone; they receive it and add to 1PW. It's super convenient.
Even with shared vaults, I can see use cases for the old share method, and would really like to see it there as an option. And without the ability to import an item via the new Share method as you've described, the new method is definitely not as good.
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@celos Thank you for the reply. Let's focus on why you're not seeing the Save in 1Password button for the moment since that seems to be the biggest blocker. Can you tell me which browser you're using to open the share links on your Macbook Air? You mentioned using 1Blocker, are you using Safari?
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I just tried again, sharing from my iPhone (iOS 15) to two Macs.
The Save in 1Password dialog is not there in Safari (macOS Monterey, Safari 15.2; also not there in Safari on my previous Mac running 10.14) but it is there in Brave. On Brave, clicking the button to save behaves as expected and adds the item to my desktop 1PW app. (Which is good to see!) Both computers and their browsers are running the latest 1PW and 1PW extensions (and the latest 1Blocker).
(Edit: looking at the dialog box I shared below, it's not actually clear whether 1password.com is blocked by this or allowed. On re-reading it I think 1password.com should be allowed.)
I dug a bit deeper in 1Blocker and it looks like 1Password is in the blocklist for "social media widget, share buttons and other social icons." I believe this is a list maintained by 1Blocker (meaning it's not a custom rule I added). See screenshot below. If it is a 1Blocker conflict, it would be good for both you and the 1Blocker crew to be aware. (I certainly could whitelist the domain, but if it's a standard rule you might want to do more to address on the company end.)
(Edit 2: there are three rules under the Block Widgets section of 1Blocker that have 1Password listed in a similar manner; I only included one screenshot.)
Happy to help troubleshoot in more detail either here or in another forum/channel. Let me know.
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@celos Thank you for digging into this further and for confirming that you're using Safari and that you see the Save in 1Password button in Brave. It's theoretically possible that 1Blocker may be in play but I haven't heard of any other reports of the same issue from other users.
Before we go down that path I think the more likely explanation is that you need to install the new standalone 1Password for Safari extension from the Mac App Store. The integrated Safari extension that comes built-in to 1Password 7 for Mac doesn't yet support the Save in 1Password button since the button requires the modern 1Password in the browser experience (that it sounds like you're already using in Brave). You can install 1Password for Safari using this link:
1Password for Safari on the App Store
Let me know if you see the button using the new standalone 1Password for Safari. :)
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I wasn't even aware of that new extension. I downloaded it and installed — do I need to uninstall/uncheck the older 1Password extension?
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@celos I recommend that you remove the integrated extension if you plan to use 1Password for Safari. Keep in mind that 1Password for Safari is designed to integrate with 1Password 8 for Mac (currently only available as a beta release) so you won't be able to use Touch ID to unlock 1Password for Safari on your Mac and will need to enter your account password. You can disable the integrated extension by following these steps:
- Open Safari.
- Click on Safari in the menubar and then click on Preferences.
- Click on Extensions.
- Uncheck "1Password" and make sure that "1Password for Safari" is checked.
Let me know if you have any questions. :)
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OK, I've disabled the legacy "1Password" extension in Safari. And I can confirm that with the new extension, I now have the "Save to 1Password" button when sharing. Thanks for helping me get that working. I still think it's way clunkier than the old method, and back to my original request — I still would like to see sharing via AirDrop supported. :) Is there a place to put that request in?
A couple follow-up questions on the new "1Password for Safari" extension. Does it need to be unlocked separately from the macOS app? Looking at the preferences, it looks like it's essentially a separate app with its own settings about when to lock, which vault to save to by default, and so on.
Will there be tighter integration with the macOS app when 1PW 8 comes out? If not, and it doesn't support TouchID, that's a step backwards in terms of usability. It seems like I now have to unlock two instances of 1Password on my computer, and they both use separate methods.
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OK, I've disabled the legacy "1Password" extension in Safari. And I can confirm that with the new extension, I now have the "Save to 1Password" button when sharing. Thanks for helping me get that working.
Great! Glad to hear Dave was able to get this feature up and running for you.
I still think it's way clunkier than the old method, and back to my original request — I still would like to see sharing via AirDrop supported. :) Is there a place to put that request in?
We're not bringing the old "be aware when you share" mechanism, but AirDrop is an option for sharing
share.1password.comlinks:
(this screenshot is of 1Password 8, but you should see similar options in 1Password 7 for Mac)
That said, I think there is a better/easier way. More on that below.
For years I have used the share button in 1Password, and the basic behavior on the Mac and iOS has been the same—when messaging or using AirDrop, after a helpful "be aware when you share" dialog, she's prompted on her device to add the item to 1Password on her device.
Let's revisit the OP. If you and your wife are sharing 1Password items, the recommended way to do that would be through the use of a shared vault. That way, if either of you update any details on that item, you both get the updates without having to re-share (potentially creating duplicates, etc):
Create and share vaults
A couple follow-up questions on the new "1Password for Safari" extension. Does it need to be unlocked separately from the macOS app? Looking at the preferences, it looks like it's essentially a separate app with its own settings about when to lock, which vault to save to by default, and so on.
If you're using 1Password 7, yes, the 1Password for Safari extension works independently of the app.
Will there be tighter integration with the macOS app when 1PW 8 comes out? If not, and it doesn't support TouchID, that's a step backwards in terms of usability. It seems like I now have to unlock two instances of 1Password on my computer, and they both use separate methods.
The new 1Password for Safari extension does integrate with 1Password 8 and when integrated can unlock with Touch ID. If you'd like to try that out you can check it out here.
I hope that helps!
Ben
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Ben, thanks. I disagree with the decision on sharing, but there you go. I can see that the new method is better (or at least, more secure) for new users. Easier for those of us who already have lots of passwords and have to do some re-jiggering of vaults to get to the Shared Vaults model? I'm not convinced.
For now I've downgraded back to the classic browser extension to keep the TouchID and tighter integration, and will revisit when 1PW8 is out of beta. (Missed opportunity not to call it a public b8a!)
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Ben, thanks. I disagree with the decision on sharing, but there you go. I can see that the new method is better (or at least, more secure) for new users. Easier for those of us who already have lots of passwords and have to do some re-jiggering of vaults to get to the Shared Vaults model? I'm not convinced.
I understand there may be some up-front investment, but ultimately I think you'll find it is worth while, as the convenience of not having to re-share items every time they change is pretty big. 🤞🏻
For now I've downgraded back to the classic browser extension to keep the TouchID and tighter integration, and will revisit when 1PW8 is out of beta.
Fair enough. 🙂
(Missed opportunity not to call it a public b8a!)
Oh man. That's a great one! 😁🍻
Ben
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1Password team, has this functionality been taken away? I tried to share something today, and got the following message on both Mac and iOS:
Today was a perfect example of why this easier method is so valuable as a user. I was at work, and my college-aged daughter texted me that she needed a scan of her passport to finalize a job application. I was in the middle of something at work, and didn't have the time to walk her through setting up a shared vault. But I could quickly send her a shared item.
Instead, I couldn't help her even though I had the information readily at hand.
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At the moment secure item sharing doesn't support Document items or File Attachments and I recommend using a shared vault if you'd like to share those types of items. I'm sorry for the inconvenience and for the trouble you ran into when trying to share a scan of your daughter's passport.
We have an open feature request to add the ability to securely share Document items in the future and I've added your comments so that our developers are aware. :)
ref: dev/projects/customer-feature-requests#1081
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