Sync feature for 1Password for families

dvoelker13

The new page for 1Password for families promises seamless syncing, but it doesn't give any details about the syncing service.

Is Agilebits now running its own syncing service, and what does that look like? (Agilebits is usually more transparent about important security issues like this, so maybe I am just missing something.)

Based on what the description does say, I assume that one could keep using iCloud or Dropbox for other vaults, right?

Thanks,

David

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1Password Version: Not Provided
Extension Version: Not Provided
OS Version: Not Provided
Sync Type: Not Provided

SteBae

I have the same exact question. Where is the data stored and how is it protected?

rob

Hi, David (@dvoelker13).

Yes, with the family plan of 1Password for Teams, your data is stored on our servers. Of course, it is always encrypted on your machine before it is sent anywhere, so we could not read it even if we wanted to. I'm really sorry we weren't clear about that. "1Password for Families" is the same service as 1Password for Teams, but with better pricing and a slightly simplified Admin Console. You can read more about the security of the whole service here: https://teams.1password.com/security/

And for ultimate transparency, you can read our detailed (and technical) white paper on the security design of 1Password for Teams here: https://1pw.ca/whitepaper

For existing vaults you have set up outside a family or team account, yes, you can continue to use iCloud or Dropbox to sync those vaults individually between apps. One beautiful thing about a family or team account is that you can have multiple vaults under one account and all you have to do is add your account to 1Password to get all the vaults in that account.

ntimo

@rob What exactly do you mean with simplified admin console?

rob

Hey, @ntimo.

In family accounts, we don't present the concept of "groups". You're either an Owner or a regular member. Behind the scenes, Owners are members of all three special groups: Owners, Admins, and Recovery. There are also no fine-grained access controls for vaults. You have read/write access or you don't, and only Owners can manage shared vaults at this time.

Those are the biggest differences right now. In the future, we'll probably simplify more of the messaging and workflows to better fit a family model, as opposed to a team.

SteBae

Thanks @rob for the explanation. The whole plan sounds intriguing. I will consider it once it's available on Windows 7 (or when all our family PCs have switched to Windows 10).

ntimo

@rob If I understand you right there will be no option to have more than 1 person in the recovery group? That sounds like a bad idear for me :( . But can I still give someone read access without write access? In my family? And can Family Members create there own private vaults? That only they can see as every one now could with the admin permission?

rob

@SteBae, great! We're working hard on our native Windows clients. :)

@ntimo, you can add anyone in your family to "Owners". Just click on their name in the Admin Console, and you'll see an "Add to Owners" button at the bottom of their page. We would definitely like to open Recovery up to people besides Owners at some point, but we're starting simple for now.

In a family account, you cannot give someone read access to a vault without write access. Each family member will have their own "Personal" vault that only they can see, but only Owners will be able to create new shared vaults right now.

hawkmoth

In a family account, you cannot give someone read access to a vault without write access.

It might be worth rethinking this. I can imagine needing to administer passwords for an aging parent to use, but unless write access is closed to them, there would be a big risk of accidental deletion of records. I have specific people in mind who would not be safe with write access. ;)

rob

Hi, @hawkmoth.

Thanks for the thoughts! You bring up good points, and it may be something we add back later. We're starting simple for now, and we'd like to keep the family account as simple as possible, but we're always open to considering improvements.

dvoelker13

Thanks for the clarification regarding the Teams/Family sync security.

Ben

You're most welcome! :)

Ben

betterannamac

I'd like to second this. I want my husband to share most passwords with me but frankly it will be my 14 year old daughter that will have to recover everything in the case that something happens to me. He will likely forget how to log in. I was hoping I could allow both my daughters to recover accounts if need be, but I don't necessarily want them to have read/write to everything.

ag_kevin

Hi @betterannamac ,

While it's true the Teams offers more fine grained control over groups than Families right now, we do have an "Emergency Kit" that you can print out and store in a safe location like, well…, a safe, or a safe deposit box. The Emergency Kit, when filled in, will contain the credentials that you need to be able to recover an account should you have forgotten the password or lost the account key. Until we have the ability for a non-owner to recover a Families account, that is another option to keep you safe.

I hope that addressed your concern. Feel free to reply if you have further questions.

Cheers,
Kevin

betterannamac

Good point. I just REALLY hate paper. A LOT. But I'll print them all out and put them in our box of very important papers.

Ben

I get that. I've tried to go as paperless as I reasonably can. But there are still a number of important documents that I have to have on paper. Maybe one day... :)

Thanks for the feedback.

Ben

jebr

+1 for the ability to add a Read Only family member. I understand the reasons for a simplified Family GUI without the full Teams granular controls but having a RO member would be very useful in many scenarios.

Ben

Thanks for the vote, @jebr.

Ben