Apple ID Catch 22
After resetting my Apple ID, I am required to immediately enter it on my iMac and two iPads to access iCloud. Entering it on my iMac isn't a problem because that's where I generated the new password (using 1Password). But I can't access that secure (long and complicated) password on my two iPads because 1Password hasn't yet synced the new data. Which it can't until I enter the new password.
Comments
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Hi @davidcoldrey,
You make a good point! 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. For example, if you need to enter a password/passcode to unlock your Mac or iOS device, you'll need to do that before you can access 1Password on that same device, so you'd need to have that password/passcode memorized. And in your example, if you're using iCloud sync, you'll need to enter the new password for your Apple ID on your other devices in order for 1Password to sync the new Apple ID password to those devices.
We have a good article about this on our blog: More than just one password: Lessons from an epic hack
In your situation, since you don't have your new Apple ID password memorized, there are a couple other options. One is that you can simply view that new password in 1Password on your Mac so you can type it into your iOS devices. Another is that you can temporarily switch to Wi-Fi sync in order to sync the new password.
I hope that helps, but if you have more questions or need anything else, just let us know!
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Drew,
Thanks for your response. One of the aspects of this catch is that if I am using a truly secure password (and I'd say an Apple ID would be a good case in point) it will be very difficult to type it in without making a mistake, especially with the hunt-and-peck style of typing necessitated by the iPad screen keyboard. Laborious!
Since I posted this issue, I have come up with an easy workaround: Choosing some editable document at random (one with an inconspicuous name), I paste the password into a random paragraph and save the result to a private folder in Dropbox. Since I can access Dropbox without iCloud, I am able to open the document in both iPads, copy the password and paste it in place (immediately deleting said document). This could be accomplished with any editable document as long as you have access to Dropbox or similar cloud storage service (other than iCloud).
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Hi @davidcoldrey,
Thanks for sharing your workaround! Since you're using Dropbox to do that, another workaround would be to temporarily switch to Dropbox sync in order to sync the new Apple ID password to your iPads, then switch back to iCloud. That might take a few more steps than simply copying a text file, but would be more secure since your 1Password vault data would be encrypted.
While we're talking about other workarounds, you could also "share" the updated Login item from your Mac to your iPads via email or iMessage. In 1Password on your Mac, you can click the Share button right below the title of the Login and choose Mail or Messages. Send that to yourself, then tap the link in that email/message on your iPads to add/update the item. This might actually be the easiest method, but please note that the shared item doesn't require a master password to add it to the 1Password app, so if someone were to somehow intercept that email/message and had their own copy of 1Password, they could view its information (not a likely scenario of course, but technically possible).
Anyway, just a couple more suggestions in case it help! :)
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