Family Sharing in 1Password 5 [See post #43 for answers]

Chris100

My family previously used a single shared AppleID for the app store, allowing us to share purchases including 1PW V4. Agile Bits frequently highlighted this capability.

With iOS 8, we have switched to Family Share -- each member has his/her own ID. The original purchaser is in the "family". This would not have been a problem, except that 1PW has switched to a freemium model.

When a Family member updates a free app, iTunes re-purchases it under their own ID. It does NOT download the update from the account of the family member who bought the app originally. I think this means that all family members except the one who bought V4 will appear as "new" users, and be subject to the 9.99 in app purchase.

Is that correct?

If it is, the update to 1PW5 will cost my family $40.

Very happy 1PW user, and sympathetic to the difficulties developers face when offering apps through app store. That said, very frustrated about transition to "Free".

AgileBits edit: Apple does not apply in-app purchases ("IAPs") to Family Sharing. Please see post #43 in this thread for further details. We apologize for the inconvenience.

bjeong1381

This is something I can't find an answer for. Thanks!

Megan

Hi @bjeong1381‌

We haven't officially released any details about this just yet, but we'll be sure to let you know as soon as we have something concrete! To be sure you don't miss a thing, stay tuned here ... or check out our blog, follow us on Twitter (@1Password) or Facebook, or sign up for our newsletters.

We do tend to get excited about new stuff, so we'll be sure to announce as soon as we have something! :)

ziggie216

Will the 1P for iOS support Apple's Family Share in September or will each of my family members will need to purchase their own app?

Stephen_C

Please see this AgileBits post from six days ago, which includes:

We haven't officially released any details about this just yet

Stephen

cue003

Anxiously awaiting the answer to this question. With IOS 8 and family share being available Sept 17 (next week) and have 6 iOS devices across 3 family members in the household this answer is instrumental in helping me formulate my decision to purchase for iOS and also 3 mac and 2 windows machines. Please provide insight ASAP.

[Deleted User]

I'm in the same camp as Cue003 on this. Would love to know the answer to this as well. Thanks

leesweet

@Megan, and others.... As you say, the blog has good info. Is there some way to get updates to the blog directly sent to one? The newsletter seems to come out once a century (feels like it... :) ), and I see lots of great stuff every time I visit the blog (like the new 1P5 details!), but in the years I've been looking at it, I've never found a way to get the info pushed to me. Any way to do this or can someone add it to a wishlist? (I know it can be added to an RSS feed, I think, but that's not very 'pushy' for me. :) ). Thanks!

thightower

@leesweet‌

My suggestion is use RSS with something like IFTTT and get the notification pushed via one of the apps that is compatible like Pushover etc. This current setup is how I get all new testing feed notifications from Dropbox. I have not tried it here as I visit almost every day.

Give IFTTT a try its a great service. It has many recommendations for ideas etc

https://ifttt.com

Edit: There are some special items that only appear once you link a mobile app. You may even like RSS to SMS .

cue003

I think I found the answer.....

--- taken from their Pro Features FAQ.

Can I share the Pro Features with other members of my family?

If your iOS devices all use the same Apple ID, you can share the unlocked app with other family members. Unfortunately, the new Family Sharing feature in iOS 8 currently does not support in-app purchases. For devices using different Apple IDs, you would have to unlock the Pro Features twice. For more information, see Apple’s site.

muschter

I agree. The move was totally self-serving and done without much more than a token f**k you very much to all
of the early adopters. Where is your "happiness engineer" now, punks? Whatevs. I love the software but
hate how your company just made me feel.

hawkmoth

I'd be curious to know why, if you've been satisfied to share a single Apple ID before, that the release of iOS 8 triggered a switch to each person using a separate one for their app and media purchases. You could continue sharing that Apple ID for your purchases and still have each person use a different one for whatever other purposes you need it.

Megan

Hi @cue003,

Thanks so much for sharing that answer here - I'm so glad you found it! I do apologize for any inconvenience this has caused. We were hoping to support the Family Sharing model, it's too bad that in app purchases are not included.

Please do let us know if you have any further questions or concerns - we're here to help!

steve28

Megan,

No offense, but it's kinda like trickery that you made the app free, but made the "features" in-app purchases. Since in-app purchases are excluded by family sharing, in effect, you actually don't allow sharing of 1P in the family - and supporting the "Family Sharing" model doesn't mean anything. This "freemium" model still forces everyone to pay individually.

Also, what happens when you share a vault between someone who is a premium customer and someone who hasn't purchased premium features. How do categories, tags, etc. work?

[Deleted User]

I have to agree with @steve28 on this. I'm currently a LastPass user and have been contemplating moving over to 1Password because of their app integration on iOS8, something that is lacking in LastPass at the moment. However, the cost of getting all 4 of my family members up on running on 1Passsword is quite high.

I'd be more than happy to sign up but until the Family Sharing feature of iOS 8 incorporates in app purchases like 1Password has for iOS devices, I can't seem to justify the cost.

Chris100

@muschter, I do not share your anger at AgileBits -- I do not think this was devious. They are forced to work with Apple's rules, and I believe my scenario may not have occurred to anyone during planning and testing.

@hawkmoth, family sharing offers more benefits aside from shared purchases.

-- It sets up a shared photo stream & shared calendar.

-- A shared iTunes/App store account was problematic because the store login also affected the podcast app and the Apple Store app. Now we can each sync our own podcasts

-- The new scheme allows me to monitor/approve what my kids buy, without having to share the password of the account with my credit card number.

-- Lastly, it simplifies phone setup -- my family members were confused about having to know two apple ID's, one for documents and settings and another for the store.

So we're going with the new direction. Unfortunately, it means that not only will I be paying for 1PW all over again, but also that I will have to do it for 4 out of 5 apple ID's.

hawkmoth

Thanks @Chris100‌ - I get most of that, but I thought that you could use one Apple ID for purchases and a second one for all that other stuff you mention. I haven't looked for the documentation on that, though, so my memory may have failed me

Megan

Hi @Chris100 and @muschter‌

I sincerely apologize for the trouble here. We did our best to ensure that our loyal users did not have to pay for the upgrade to 1Password 5 for iOS: all existing 1Password 4 for iOS can access the Pro features of 1Password 5 for free. We fully expected to support Family Sharing with 1Password 5, so that your whole family could stay secure and enjoy the Pro features, but Apple has not included In-App Purchases in the Family Sharing model. If this ever changes, we'll be happy to support it!

I hope this helps, but we've got more information on 1Password's Pro features in our Knowledgebase, and of course we're here if you have any further questions!

steve28

Yep - I agree... with @chris100 - the switch to the freemium model essentially neutered their much trumpeted "support" for Family Sharing. They "support" it by allowing you to share an app that anyone can download for free. nice. What actually makes it worse is the "Aww shucks, there's nothing we can do - Apple doesn't put in-app purchases in Family Sharing" - C'mon! you knew that. Hence the switch to freemium

[Deleted User]

Hi Megan,

Like many other developers, why not offer two versions of your app in the app store. One would be the freemium version where customers could try out your software, and the other would be a full fledged app where you pay the full price for all the features. This way, people who want to use the benefits of iOS 8 Family Sharing would be able to purchase the full version once and have family members share the purchase among their own devices.

I can't help but feel this has become a bit of a cash grab since previously to iOS 8, many families would just buy all their apps under one Apple ID and have that app available on all their devices anyways.

steve28

@Megan - Doing you best would have been to leave the app the way it was and support Family Sharing. Agile knew this was the model - and that's why they switched.

Chris100

@Megan, we cannot blame this all on Apple. As @Jagstyles and @steve28 said, all would have been fine if 1PW had maintained the paid, full version and added the freemium as a separate new app. The paid version would have been fully sharable by the members of the family after the update. The freemium version would have been available to new customers kicking the tires etc.

@hawkmoth, I don't think you can join a family and also use your own separate app store account. Once you sign in as a member of the family, that is your store login. Even if you could, this would set up the same confusing situation that Family Sharing is supposed to help solve.

Mitch

@Jagstyles - if you bought 1Password 4 for an Apple ID, any devices that still use that Apple ID can use 1Password 5 with the Pro Features already unlocked. There's no reason to pay again. It deserves restating: 1Password 5 is 100% free for existing users, for all their devices (including devices shared with other family members on the same Apple ID, which is exactly how it's always worked).

@steve28 @chris100 @muschter - When we made the decision to move to freemium, we believed--wrongly--that Family Sharing would support the Pro Features. We even had the documentation written up. We only learned the truth a few days ago, just like everyone else. Doing something drastic like splitting the app into two versions would be way more confusing and unnecessary than simply explaining the limitations of IAP as best we can.

If Apple changes its Family Sharing policies to support IAP, we will be the first to enable the feature in 1Password. We wouldn't make that claim so boldly now if we weren't going to follow through.

I guess there's no way to prove that making 1Password free for new users is not part of an elaborate plot to make money, but that's the honest truth.

Chris100

Agree with all you said except this.

Doing something drastic like splitting the app into two versions would be way more confusing and unnecessary than simply explaining the limitations of IAP as best we can.

This "drastic" measure would have taken care of your prior customers who are upgrading.

There's no reason to pay again. It deserves restating: 1Password 5 is 100% free for existing users, for all their devices (including devices shared with other family members on the same Apple ID, which is exactly how it's always worked).

Except that now, to get the benefit, you cannot avail yourself if a core feature of iOS. (See my post above, and it doesn't mention everything you get with Family Sharing.)

If Apple changes its Family Sharing policies to support IAP, we will be the first to enable the feature in 1Password.

And this will add insult to injury, as I will have spent $40 it will cost me to stay on 1PW as I move my family to family sharing today.

As I said earlier, I fully believe this was not Agile's intent. Nonetheless, it doesn't leave us feeling good. Nor do comments that place the blame with Apple or suggestions that we skip a major new feature of the OS.

Megan

Hi @Chris100,

Thanks so much for providing your feedback. We've said it before, but I'll say it again - we sincerely apologize if this upgrade has left you feeling bad.

Take a look at what the free version of 1Password 5 for iOS has to offer: you can create and edit Secure Notes as well as Login, Credit Card, and Identity items. You can also mark your favorite items and find them easily. Syncing is also included here. If you're unwilling to upgrade to the Pro version across each of your family's AppleIDs (and I certainly don't blame you if that is your concern!) would the basic features give your family the access you need?

We're certainly not suggesting that you miss out on Family Sharing, and I do wish that we had a better answer for you here, but I hope that this suggestion might help.

steve28

@mitch - it's great that you plan to support it when/if apple allows in-app purchases to be part of family sharing. It will feel great to pay now and then have it free later.

eliotw

Everyone here including Agile should contact Apple and ask them to change the Family Sharing to include in-app purchases. I'm sure there are many Freemium developers who pressured Apple to exclude them.

I still think Agile should provide the true Family Sharing they envisioned and provide a Premium version of the app that could be shared.

Megan

Hi @steve28 and @eliotw‌

Thanks so much for sharing your thoughts here! We're all still getting used to this new feature in iOS - here's to hoping Apple continues to develop it and make it more awesome for us all. :)

Patrix99

When iOS 8 was announced, I asked 1Password via Twitter if this meant that if I had a Pro version, my family members could download it too. The response was, "it does seem like that way". Right until Tuesday before iOS 8 was released, I thought this was true. Then you went freemium and now blame Apple for not including in-app purchases.

My specific use case - I'm trying to get my wife to switch from LastPass and thought she can use my Pro app and we can finally have our common vault. She would then buy the Windows version (yeah, her workplace is not yet that cool). But now, all she can use on the iOS apps is our common vault so her personal passwords still remain on her LastPass account so I doubt she's moving over anytime soon. She may use our common vault only when she needs passwords we both use (once a week at the most).

1Password could've handled it better but not going after new free customers first and instead paid attention to the needs of current paying ones. I used to unflinchly recommend to everyone. Even got my in-laws to buy the full-price Mac apps. Now I'll think twice.

Chris100

Thanks @megan. I do realize that this was not Agile's intent, I am still a huge fan of 1PW, and am happy to give the company more money.

Anyway, for those in a tighter spot financially, you may be able to do this:

1. DONT START by creating and joining a family
2. Update each person to iOS 8 while still using the single shared iTunes store account,
3. Update 1PW to v5 on each device
4. Launch 1PW and ensure that pro features are activated on each device
5. Now create the family on whatever device belongs to the family organizer, and invite family members
6. Family members should be able to join the family, and will still have their pro features
7. Family members may need to sign out of the store and sign back in using their personal Apple ID (for the benefit of family sharing, not for the benefit of 1PW) I think this can also be done in "settings".

Also, after doing this, the update came out. With family members now using their own accounts, the Pro features survived the update.

(I thought family members might lose their pro features --the update process observes that you are updating a Free app and updates through your own account instead of the purchaser's. But no probe here).

I believe that if a family member ever deletes/reinstalls, they may need to pay the in-app price for pro. But for the time being, we have dodged the extra charges.

Aled Griffiths

I have set up family sharing, discovered in app purchases are not covered

This is my solution:
Delete 1password on device (make sure you have synced/backed up the data using anything but iCloud , use Dropbox or wifi)

Go to settings>iTunes & App Store and log out of account.
Then log in with the account that purchased the pro features (this will be different to the iCloud account used by the device)

Reinstall 1password using this account, open and set it up.

Once it's working , log back in to the iCloud account used in family sharing.

Best of both worlds?
It's a pain that I still have to do this as I was hoping family sharing would make this dance redundant.