I have 1Password 6 Family. Should I use 1Password "Accounts"? So Confusing

mandolinda

Just discovered that I've been out of the loop! When I was attempting to get 1Password up and working on my new Galaxy S7 I became very confused and I couldn't find any clear directions (that applied to me anyway) on AgileBits' website. Turned out that it was far simpler than I thought -- all I had to do was set up the new phone by choosing "Use 1Password without an account." That was a TERRIBLY confusing instruction because:

1) I purchased the "Family" license in 2013, so at first look (you know, three hours worth of first looking), it appeared that I was supposed to log in with a "Family or Team Account" -- which as you know I couldn't do (but that didn't stop me from trying... 6 times);
and
2) Since I've been an AgileBits customer since 2008, I (reasonably) believed I DID have an "account" with my 1Password. (I've been blithely calling it "my 1Password account" for nearly a decade.) Apparently, however, I did not. I've been using 1Password without an "account" all these years. (?!)

At any rate, I was hoping to get some advice with regard to whether or not I should be using the "Accounts" feature with my 1Password 6.3.2 Family license. Does using the Family Accounts feature add manageability or security or other features I should be taking advantage of? Or shall I continue to blunder on, taking 1Password for granted and pausing momentarily every day to bless it and silently express my undying gratitude for this life-saving software?

I must say that while I find the directions confusing and sometimes implementation is less than intuitive, if AgileBits should ever go out of business (and FWIW, the company I worked at for 16 years was 106 years old when it went out of business in 2016 -- it happens!), I'm gonna be totally screwed.

Please. Don't. Ever. Go. Away. <3

Thanks, Linda

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1Password Version: 6.3.2
Extension Version: Not Provided
OS Version: 3 Macs, 1 Nexus 5, 1 Galaxy S7, 2 Nook HDs, & more
Sync Type: Dropbox
Referrer: forum-search:I have 1Password 6 Family. Should I use 1Password Accounts?

Jacob

Hi @mandolinda,

Thanks for taking the time to write this post about what's happening. I appreciate the detail. Also, it's been wonderful having you as a 1Password user for so long. :) I'm very sorry there's been some confusion about how you should be using 1Password. I'd be happy to help clear things up.

You do have a family license, but that doesn't include an account. We stopped selling these a few years ago, and you were one of the last people to get one. For families, we now have a subscription service with features licenses just couldn't offer before:

• Get all the 1Password apps for free. No matter which plan you choose, you (and every member of your family or team plan) always has free access to the latest versions of all the 1Password apps. Learn more about all the features included with a 1Password account.
• Share and sync without the need of a third-party sync service. Setting up syncing with Dropbox can be confusing for some folks. With a 1Password account, simply sign in and all your data is there.
• New vaults automatically show up for family members. When you create a new vault, you can add others in your plan to it automatically. They don’t need to do anything to see it and begin using it on their end.
• Recover accounts if a family member forgets their Master Password. We have always prided ourselves on our security model which has no back door. While we still can’t recover anyone’s accounts, you can now recover accounts for your family members.
• View, edit, and add items from any browser. You’ll always have access to your data on 1Password.com, even if you're away from your main devices.
• Access your data even if you stop paying. Your data is yours. Even if you ever cancel your subscription, you can always view and export your data.

The subscription includes accounts which are hosted on the 1Password servers. If you share passwords with your family, 1Password Families can be a very useful service. It's also a great way to keep things up to date since you always have the newest version of the app with a subscription. You're welcome to stick with your family license, though — there's nothing wrong with that. :)

Hope that helps clarify things a bit. If you have any other questions just let us know.

mandolinda

Thanks @Jacob,

Thanks for getting back to me. Very informative answer. I think I will stick with my non-subscription license. I find the whole subscription model to be very irritating from a consumer point of view. I guess I'm old school, and I like to buy something and have it be mine. Subscriptions should be for magazines. [Insert rant about subscription-model business plans here] That said, I do have subscriptions to some companies that have forced me to have them, like Adobe. I sure hope AgileBits never turns into an Adobe.

Jacob

No problem at all. :) We're not planning to follow in the footsteps of other companies. The goal is to do what is best for our users, and the subscription model gives us a chance to do things we couldn't with licenses: Automatic sync so data isn't lost, account recovery in case someone in a family or team loses their account details, and access to the apps on every platform without separate purchases. Licenses are going to stay around for quite a while, unless the majority of our users decide subscriptions are what they prefer.