Dropbox v iCloud syncing + backing up passwords for a rainy day

siddhantseksaria
siddhantseksaria
Community Member
in iOS

Hi All - I have been a satisfied user of 1Password for the last couple of years. I was hoping you guys could answer a few questions I had, as follows:

1) I am currently using only apple devices (MacBook Pro, iPhone 6 plus and Apple Watch) - for 1Password I am currently using iCloud as a syncing platform - would like to know if there is any benefit of switching to Dropbox and will that in any way mean a less seamless experience?

2) I would like to have a backup file of my passwords in a readable and usable format in anticipation of a situation where I may not have access to any Apple device and need to login to a site/access some password on another electronic device, especially if I am running short of time a readable file saved on a USB drive which I carry around with me would be extremely helpful. Any way I could do this?

3) While I am enjoying the benefits of 1Password, I just wanted to know (if you guys can share that information of course) about any upcoming features or plans which would make 1Password more like a system application - (which is currently sandboxed and only usable in apps like Uber, Wunderlist etc)

Regards
Siddhant

1Password Version: 6.3.1
Extension Version: Not Provided
OS Version: Mac OS Sierra beta
Sync Type: iCloud

Comments

  • AGAlumB
    AGAlumB
    1Password Alumni

    @siddhantseksaria: First of all, thanks for the kind words. I'm glad you're enjoying 1Password. Great questions!

    1. Dropbox and iCloud both have different benefits, but in your scenario, I'd say that Dropbox may have an edge since it syncs using the filesystem on computers. This makes it super easy to include the data there in system backups, whereas iCloud's CloudKit database is not exposed anywhere back-up-able. iCloud is more "seamless", but really only because it's built into the OS. Once you set either up, you really won't need to think about them.
    2. We really can't recommend any "USB drive" solution you describe since they'd necessarily involve 1Password's data being in the clear (perhaps as a PDF?). You may be able to find something with built-in encryption, but it isn't something we'd be able to vouch for. The only way to access your actual encrypted 1Password vault is using the app.
    3. iOS apps are always sandboxed, so there isn't any way for 1Password (or anything else) to function at the system level, apart from the extensions framework. I suspect that this will always be the case, as it's an explicit design choice which has afforded the platform (and all of us as users) fantastic security benefits. That said, it may be that Apple will open up other extension-like channels in the future to enable additional functionality, but we'll just have to wait and see.

    I hope this helps. Be sure to let us know if you have any other questions! :)

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