Locked out by iCloud
I'm somewhat frustrated with 1Password. I purchased a new Macbook and iPhone on Thursday. I backed up my old phone to my old laptop, and my old laptop to my time capsule external hard drive. I came home with the new gear and loaded up the time capsule to set up the new laptop, and bring me back to where I was on the old laptop.
I went to open the 1Password app to give me the password to sign into iCloud, which as we know is the lynchpin for the Apple experience. However, 1Password was not being allowed to open by the App store security facility as this is a new computer. It required my iCloud login details. So I am locked out of 1Password by iCloud, and iCloud by 1Password.
I wish 1Password would have warned me about this or preempted me in some way. My problems have been compounded by an error on the iforgot.apple.com website which is not accepting the details of my credit card on file. I have been waiting four days now for account recovery, all caused by this tiny oversight.
It is a major flaw in the program and has left a bitter taste. I'm wondering if there is anything I can do to access 1Password? I'm locked out of all my non-standard iPhone apps, no access to internet banking, iMessage, whatsapp, etc.
1Password Version: Not Provided
Extension Version: Not Provided
OS Version: Not Provided
Sync Type: Not Provided
Referrer: kb:undefined, kb-search:icloud
Comments
-
Hi @frustrated2016,
I feel for you - all new equipment and you are stymied from enjoying them fully. That is frustrating.
First, I am assuming that when you brought your new phone and computer home you no longer had access to the old ones (hence the backups you preformed).
Looking at the steps required to recover your iCloud password from http://iforgot.apple.com I don't see the requirement for verification of your credit card information. Do you know if the credit card information requirement is based on the computer being a new set-up? The procedures I referenced are:
Using email or security questions:
1. Go to http://iforgot.apple.com.
2. Enter your Apple ID (the email account you used to sign up Apple ID) and click Next.
3. Choose Email authentication (you need to check your email) or Answer security questions (enter the right answer as you had provided when you originally create your Apple ID)
4. Whether you've received the email in inbox or answered the security questions correctly, Apple will provide you a link to reset your password. Just click the link to open the reset password window and enter new a password.using two-factor authentication:
1. Go to http://iforgot.apple.com.
2. Click "Forgot your Apple ID?".
3. In the pop-up window, enter your name and current email address. It's better to enter Prior Email Address too (you might enter the email address you've used to sign up Apple ID by lucky coincidence). Click Next.
4. Select authentication method: Email authentication or Answer security questions.
5. If you've chosen email authentication, check your email to reset a new password. If you've chosen answering security question, then enter the answer exactly as what you set when you originally created your account.My second assumption is that you already tried this path. Perhaps if you describe how the process you followed at the Apple web site differed from the above I, or someone else, might be able to suggest another way.
It sounds like you might be asking if the staff can break into your account for you. I am guessing that isn't possible, but I am now curious to find out. I hope your solution comes soon.
Margeau
0 -
Hi @frustrated2016,
I'm sorry you're having such difficulty getting 1Password and iCloud setup on your new Mac! We will do our best to help you get back up & running here, and in fact I have an idea that should make it all very easy for you.
First, I wanted to mention that although you only need to remember one password (your master password) to unlock 1Password, there are some circumstances when you may need to remember another password. Aside from your current situation, a good example that if you need to enter a password/passcode to unlock your Mac, you'll need to do that before you can access 1Password on that same Mac. Having your 1Password data available on another device can help to avoid that problem, but it sounds like you may have gotten rid of both of your older devices before setting up the new ones.
A problem like this can be tricky if you can't access 1Password to get the information you need, because the thing you need that information for is blocking you from accessing 1Password. It's kind of a "chicken or egg" problem. We have a good article about this on our blog: More than just one password: Lessons from an epic hack
That's a great article, but I know that's not your primary concern right now, so I'll get back to helping you solve the current problem. The Mac App Store version of the 1Password app file is tied to the Apple ID you used to purchase it, and unfortunately it sounds like the Mac App Store won't allow that app to be opened unless you enter your Apple ID password. We don't have any control over how that aspect of the Mac App Store works. However, the good (or perhaps great) news is that your 1Password data is not tied to your Apple ID, and it can be read by the AgileBits Store version of 1Password, which you can download for free from our download site.
Once you download that, unzip the downloaded file (if necessary) and move the 1Password 6.app file to the Applications folder. Double-click on 1Password 6.app to open it, and it should be able to find your data from the Mac App Store version and give you the option to use that data. Then you'll be able to unlock it with your master password like usual.
You'll be able to access your Apple ID password at this point, so you should be able to get the Mac App Store version of 1Password working again. If so, you can quit the AgileBits Store version (1Password 6.app) and drag it to the Trash, then go back to using the Mac App Store version (1Password.app).
Hopefully it all goes well, but we're here for you if you need more help or have more questions about that. Cheers! :)
0 -
Hi Margeau, thank you for your kind response. Yes, I have followed the above and even received the phone verification. The credit card info was to provide more information about my identity but there seems to be a glitch on the Apple side with the three-digit security code entry.
I know this is more of an Apple issue but I wanted to know if any other users have come across this. The magic bullet would be for 1Password staff to "break into" my account somehow but I don't even know how or where this would happen.
I still think this is an oversight by 1Password. We are told it is safe to store all passwords in the app but iCloud passwords should not be saved there because of what I have described above.
0 -
Thank you Drew, thank you 10,000 times over. I followed your helpful advice and have now restored access. I am so grateful to you for your kind assistance. This had been bothering me for the past four days with no end in sight. Thank you again.
0 -
Woohoo! Thanks for the update. On behalf of Drew, you are most welcome!
Regarding the password conundrum, you're correct that — much like locking your safe in the basement will necessitate having a key for both to get at its contents — locking your iCloud login credentials in your 1Password vault means you'll need to have access to that. There are different methods to plan for things like this:
- Store your 1Password data on multiple devices, so you'll have access to a different one if necessary.
- Generate a strong, random word-based password to use for iCloud, so that you can memorize and enter it manually if needed.
After all, there are plenty of times where you'll be asked to login to iCloud on a device (especially iOS) where it will be impossible for you to use 1Password to fill it for you.
I'm glad to hear that all is well now, but don't hesitate to reach out if we can be of further assistance. We're always here to help! :)
0
