How to recover from equipment failure on the road?

Nick_Renfroe
Nick_Renfroe
Community Member

New user with a future planning hypothetical. What is the procedure to reagin access to 1password data after a full iOS reset or device replacement when traveling without another device authorized to access a 1password account? Because I (and my other users) have moved all of our password data to 1password, we may not even be able to download and install the 1password app without knowing our apple id passwords which are stored in 1password...I have the same question for OSX rather than iOS - what to do after a laptop critical failure or theft if not in possession of any other 1password approved device? I don't want to travel with a copy of my emergency key - digital or physical. I have had many occasions over the years to do full iPhone wipes and resets when on the road - and don't see a way that I would be able to get into any of my accounts. I can't be the only one to have this come up but I did not see the topic anywhere in the FAQs or other discussions. There were a few somewhat similar discussion threads, but the answers all involved dropbox or iCloud syncing solutions and were from three or more years ago.


1Password Version: 1Password 7 Version 7.2.2 (70202006)
Extension Version: 1.12.3
OS Version: iOS 12.1 (16B92)/OSX 10.14.1
Sync Type: Not Provided

Comments

  • Hi @Nick_Renfroe,

    This is a great question and I'm glad to hear you're thinking about this kind of possibility, which is very real. I'd recommend having a printed copy of your Emergency Kit:

    Get to know your Emergency Kit | 1Password

    It wouldn't hurt a bit to have multiple printed copies: one that does not have your Master Password written in that you travel with and one that may have your Master Password written in that stays in a fire safe or bank safe deposit box. If you opt to enable two-factor authentication for your 1Password account you'll also want to write your TOTP secret on these documents, though we don't have a spot specifically for that (yet).

    In an emergency that would get you by, and I would classify what you've described as an emergency. Certainly under normal circumstances it wouldn't be recommended or advisable to wipe your phone while traveling. You can use this information to log in to 1Password.com in a web browser on your device, and then you can obtain your Apple ID password from there such that you can install the 1Password app.

    For a lot of reasons, one being a situation like this, it is critical that you have your Master Password (your "one password") memorized.

    I hope that helps!

    Ben

  • Nick_Renfroe
    Nick_Renfroe
    Community Member

    Hi Ben,
    Thanks for the reply. I do have my master password memorized, and have a copy of the emergency kit printed without the master password, and stored safely. It does seem to me that carrying a copy of the emergency kit, even without the master password filled in, is not the best solution possible. It is certainly less secure than traveling without the emergency kit - though arguably better than entrusting that data to a third party cloud service which would relegate this system to 2Password at best. I would suggest that this is an area that could use some more analysis by the development team. I fully appreciate that the scenario I describe - an emergency case - isn't the easiest to overcome, but I think that the agilebits team has done some great work and is capable of cracking this tough nut also. Thanks for taking the time to respond.
    Nick

  • If you have suggestions on a better system we'd certainly be interested in hearing them. Thanks for the feedback thus far. :)

    Ben

This discussion has been closed.