For international travel DropBox vs. iCloud. Which is better

ezchase

when traveling abroad and need to use 1Password is it better to use sync with DropBox or use iCloud. Will also use external hard drive for back-up

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1Password Version: Not Provided
Extension Version: Not Provided
OS Version: Not Provided
Sync Type: Not Provided
Referrer: forum-search:For international travel DropBox vs. iCloud

khad

Hi @ezchase,

Thanks for taking the time to contact us.

Could you help me understand your question a bit better? As long as you have your Mac and/or other devices with which you have been syncing, I don't think it makes much of a difference whether you use iCloud or Dropbox.

Do note that only the version of 1Password from the Mac App Store supports iCloud syncing. Since you didn't provide your 1Password for Mac version number, I'm not sure if you are using that version or the one from our website. But I wanted to make sure you were aware of that.

If you have a specific concern in mind, perhaps I can address it more directly. :)

Cheers!

ezchase

Hello Khad
I purchased from MacApp so I have the option of either. However I thought I read in one of the comments that it was easier to access DropBox from abroad rather than iCloud. if they are equivalent then I will continue with the iCloud option.

Vee_AG

Hey @ezchase,

Thanks for clarifying. Without seeing the comment that you read in its original context, it's hard to tell exactly what may have been meant, but I can think of two relevant points.

Dropbox sync used to include a feature called 1PasswordAnywhere, which could be used to access your vault (read-only) through the Dropbox website in a browser, which could be handy if you're traveling without your own computer or devices and need to access your vault from some kind of shared computer. But 1PasswordAnywhere is being phased out, and its intended purpose is less necessary these days, as many people tend to travel with their laptop, or at least their mobile device which has their 1Password data on it.

On the other hand, I've heard that Dropbox is blocked in some regions of China, and possibly other places. I'm not sure if the same is true about iCloud, but I've only heard it specifically about Dropbox. I believe there are ways to get around this, like using a VPN or proxy, but it's something to be aware of.

Other than that, I'm with Khad on this: both sync methods should work well in most regions, and they're quite comparable to each other. :+1:

fourwheelcycle

ezchase,

Maybe I don't understand what you are trying to, but when I travel abroad I don't sync with iCloud or DropBox - I just go into Preferences and turn off my sync altogether before I leave home. All of your logins are already in your computer and any new logins you might create while traveling will just accumulate in your computer and will automatically merge into your iCloud or DropBox sync file as soon as you get home and turn on your sync Preference again.

Vee_AG

Good point, @fourwheelcycle!

Depending on how long you're traveling, how many/which devices you sync with (and whether you're traveling with them or not), whether you share vaults with anyone else, and how often you make changes to your vault, that could be a perfectly viable solution. :)

fourwheelcycle

Vee,

Right. If ezchase shares a vault with anyone who might create new logins or other secure info. while ezchase is traveling, or who could benefit by using logins or other secure info. ezchase might create while traveling, then syncing while on the road would be desirable. I considered this when I wrote my first post but decided to assume a more basic one-user situation in order to keep my post short.

Traveling with multiple devices or traveling to a field-office where ezchase might use multiple devices could also lead to additional desirable syncing situations.

ag_kevin

Hi,

If I may jump in, @ezchase , are you referring to access to iCloud or Dropbox servers being blocked in some countries? I'm not sure we can provide a concrete answer to that. I suggest searching on whether iCloud or Dropbox is blocked in the countries you will be travelling to.

If you have security concerns, let us assure you that your data is encrypted during sync - it is never sent over the network unencrypted. Provided you have a good master password, your data is safe.

Regards,
Kevin

ezchase

Thanks everyone
Vee answered my questions. I was interested in the 1PWAnywhere option in case of situations where you don't have access to your private devices or battery failures in all its guises. Again thanks for the input
Happy New Year to all
ps I have 2 gmail accounts, each with its own distinct logins, however when I use each distinct login they bring up only one gmail account. Any thoughts

Drew_AG

@ezchase, thanks for clarifying - I'm glad that Vee's answer was helpful for you! And Happy New Year to you too! :)

As for the problem you mentioned with Gmail accounts / logins, we may need to move that to a separate discussion, but I'm not sure I completely understand what you mean. Can you please give us some more details about that? If you can describe exactly what you're trying to do, the exact steps you're taking to do it, what you expect to happen, and what happens instead, we should have a much better idea of how to help you get things working again. Thanks!

ezchase545

I made two separate Logins for 2 different gmail signons. #1 Login with username1@gmail.com/ password#1, and another Login; #2 Login with username2@gmail.com/ password #2. both passwords generated by 1PW. After signing into 1PW going to Login the click on logon for #1, I am brought to the correct #1 Gmail, However when I go to #2 Login, #1 gmail account is brought up in a different tab.

littlebobbytables

Hi @ezchase545,

If I've understood correctly when you say you click on a Login you mean you click on the URL in the Login item from the main 1Password window. This is what we call open and fill where we first pass the URL to your default browser and then attempt to fill using the Login item.

I suspect what might be at play here are cookies in your browser. Say I sign into a Google account and then I log out. Google store in a cookie the username I logged in with and so the next time I manually visit https://accounts.google.com it skips asking me for the email address and goes straight to asking for the password. If you see this you should also see a link titled Sign in with a different account. If you do this and then remove the logged in account you should find manually visiting https://accounts.google.com gets you back to the proper login screen where it doesn't assume you mean a particular Google account. This is all about how Google's webpage works though and I don't know of a URL that would allow you to force the loading of the page asking for the username.

Could this help explain what you're seeing?

ezchase

Thanks. Sounds like the most likely explanation. No fix?

littlebobbytables

Hi @ezchase,

I don't think there is anything we can do from inside 1Password. We can only attempt to fill the page that the web browser loads. The web browser can only load what the server gives it. We don't provide a way to allow complex interactions with a page - 1Password is solely focused on filling in certain fields on a loaded web page. It may mean you have to manually switch between Google accounts but you can have 1Password help fill any username or password field. With the page ready the keyboard shortcut ⌘\ will either fill using a Login item if only one matches or when you have more than one that match it opens up the 1Password mini menu.

Does that help at all?

ezchase

Yes thanks for setting this issue straight

littlebobbytables

Sorry I couldn't offer a more positive option at this point :smile: