Feature request: iOS friendly password generation option

thu75

Hi there,

I currently have the option to let 1p generate pronounceable passwords. I would love to have another option to create iOS friendly passwords meaning still using characters upper/lower, digits and symbols but arranged in a way that reduces the number of switches between the different iOS keyboards using [ABC], [Upper case], [123] or [#+=].
abC12[ would be faster to enter on an iOS device than [a1C2b

Or do you consider one alternative more secure than the other?

Best regards
Thorsten

hawkmoth

I'm no expert on this matter, but I've read enough here to suppose that your method would be less secure than a truly random one. Anything that reduces the randomness of the password makes the life of a bad actor easier.

But I'd be interested myself to know how much of an issue this actually might be. It would be a relief not to have to switch among keyboards too much.

On the other hand, the only password I personally ever enter for 1Password is its own master password, which I've generated using Diceware. Those words don't involve any keyboard switching at all. The use of Diceware is discussed at this link. If you haven't read the really useful blog post about generating better passwords here at AgileBits, it's worth your time. Click here to access it.

thu75

I think about a handful passwords I need more often on iOS but this might be solved when iOS 8' widgets/plugins will help integrating 1p into more apps.

Megan

Hi Thorsten ( @thu75 ),

I'm not quite a security expert either, but I can confirm what @hawkmoth says. Anything that you do to de-randomize a randomly generated password (such as adding rules to make it easier to type on iOS) makes it less secure. For details on just how much a few rules would change the password's strength, I'll need to call on our security guru, @jpgoldberg‌.

I can completely understand your pain when switching back and forth between keyboards on iOS though, it can get a bit annoying. Luckily, 1Password makes it easy to copy your passwords - simply slide to the right across the entry while viewing it in list view. You'll see a blue 'copy' button. Tap to copy the password. For sites or apps that perhaps do not allow copying, I like @hawkmoth's suggestion of Diceware. I use Diceware for my AppleID and my Dropbox password (to name a few) so that I can easily remember and type them when necessary.

I hope this helps, but we're here if you have any further questions or concerns.