Too Complicated

lerbi
lerbi
Community Member

This may not be the place for this comment/inquiry and, if so, admins just delete it.

Iā€™m a long-time user of 1 Password - sometime around 2008-2009 - using an iMac and a MacBook Air. Happily retired with no business use for, or need to share, 1Password. To me, and perhaps for other users like me, 1Password has gotten a little ā€œtoo big for its britchesā€.

Surely, I havenā€™t been using all the ā€œfeaturesā€ of 1Password but, on the other hand, I donā€™t want or need them. I can handle those few accounts where 2FA is needed without help (or need) from 1Password. All of those pop-up boxes that seem to appear whenever I enter information on a website are not needed. There is absolutely no need for me to keep the information found in the ā€œPasswordsā€ category of my one vault ā€¦ why would I need to know a password that I used with a long since deleted account, credit card or whatever in 2009?

In the end, what I want is a simpler version of 1Password. Does something like Iā€™m after even exist?


1Password Version: 7.8.7
Extension Version: Not Provided
OS Version: MacOS 11.6

Comments

  • ag_ana
    ag_ana
    1Password Alumni
    edited October 2021

    Hi @lerbi!

    why would I need to know a password that I used with a long since deleted account, credit card or whatever in 2009?

    I am not sure I understand what you mean here, can you elaborate? If you don't need any item you have stored in 1Password, can you not just delete it?

    In the end, what I want is a simpler version of 1Password. Does something like Iā€™m after even exist?

    Yes, you can use the browser extension alone in your browser:

    Get 1Password in your browser

    It sounds like you don't need all the power of the desktop app, so perhaps you might enjoy using just the browser extension.

  • Radoc
    Radoc
    Community Member

    Hi @ ag_ana,

    I think I know what @lerbi is talking about, especially regarding the Passwords category. 1Password adds an entry to this category every time it generates a new password, even if the user creates or modifies a login with the same password. I've sometimes found that useful in situations where I had to generate several passwords, one after the other, to get one that satisfied the site's requirements. As you say, you can delete them manually, although I believe @lerbi would prefer an option not to save them in the vault at all.

  • lerbi
    lerbi
    Community Member

    Hello ag-ana
    The response that you received from Radoc is correct. I don't understand why the Passwords category is necessary to begin with. Certainly there are other, more specific, categories that already exist without the need to keep track of every password that has ever been generated in 1Password. For example, my Passwords category shows a password generated in July of 2009 for a credit card that was probably closed right around that time. The Passwords category, if it has to exist at all, should have some way to automatically delete (not archive) passwords generated after a certain amount of time has passed. Simply put, it's overkill. 1Password needs to simplify, simplify, simplify!

  • Chevalier
    Chevalier
    Community Member

    Have to say, on similar lines, there's one thing that I find not quite so helpful. One of the categories in 1P is 'Email Accounts'. I have all my accounts entered there BUT in most cases, whenever I want to log in using a mobile phone, I get the use details from 1 Password prompts and often there is only a list that I can scroll down (Log Ins I think) with no option to select 'Search 1 Password'. As such I end up creating duplicates of the Email Account entries in Log Ins which in turn increases the password count on the device and also gives me a a notification under Watch Tower of Re-used Password. It's not just emails that applies too. Numerous categories with the default cards containing info that you need but that also don't show up in the list of logins and if the app doesn't give you the Search 1 Password option, that's another log in you need ti duplicate. Surely it would be better if Search 1 Password was an option every single time, it would then be able to pick up the entry from the search term, rather than having multiple duplicate entries because it will only bring up a list of log ins. Or maybe I'm doing something wrong?

  • Hi @lerbi and @Chevalier:

    The categories other than Logins, Credit Cards, and Identities are for items that either you don't need to have automatically filled in, or don't make sense to think about in the context of automatically filled.

    For example, the Passwords category might be better thought of as the PINs category. Your gym locker combination doesn't have a login, but you'd like to store your locker combination in a secure field, or your alarm code at work along with the combination to arm or disarm the system after entering your code.

    Similarly, if you have an email account that doesn't offer webmail, and instead requires you to use a dedicated email client and configure settings manually, a new item created in the Email Account category will have room for various IMAP/SMTP settings you would need to configure your email client.

    This carries on to the Bank Account category and so on.

    In your case @Chevalier, as these sound like webmail accounts, the best place for them to belong would be in the Login category, as they're something that makes sense to be automatically filled.

    Jack

  • lerbi
    lerbi
    Community Member

    @Jack Platten - The problem is that I have personally never entered anything in the Passwords category. However, there are 207 entries listed there. 1Password made those entries based on some criteria and unknown own to me. If you think a PINs (or something similar) category is helpful, that's fine, but why should I have to manually delete all of the unwanted entries that exist in the Passwords category?

  • Hi @lerbi:

    It sounds like maybe you've imported data at one point and something didn't go exactly right. 1Password can't automatically detect what is "good" or "bad" data, because it's encrypted. If you're confident that none of the items in the Passwords category are items you need, you can select them all (āŒ˜ A) and then right click to archive them. They'll no longer be visible in the Passwords category, and if you don't notice any issues with accessing accounts in the future after leaving these items in the Archive for a while, then you can permanently delete them from the Archive.

    Jack

  • Chevalier
    Chevalier
    Community Member
    edited October 2021

    @lerbi Thanks for the reply, I kind of get what you're saying, but there are numerous instances where I actually DO need to log in with an email user name and password, probably not the best example but managing an Apple or Google ID is one where I am not using a dedicated app / email client to check for email but where the Email user name and password ARE the credentials that you need to use. To access that from 1 Password requires you to effectively create another Log In entry for that email address and it's password which will then throw up a re-used password warning in Watch Tower. In this instance it's actually not a re-used password, it's merely entered twice as there is no way to access email accounts as log in options from the list that 1PW provides. Deleting either one of them isn't really an option, delete the Log In entry and you can't access it from 1PW, delete the Email Accounts entry and you lose all the other relevant information.

    It's not particularly helpful.

  • ag_ana
    ag_ana
    1Password Alumni

    @Chevalier:

    Deleting either one of them isn't really an option, delete the Log In entry and you can't access it from 1PW, delete the Email Accounts entry and you lose all the other relevant information.

    Have you considered adding a custom section to your Login item, with the fields from the Email Account entry?

    Customize your 1Password items

  • Chevalier
    Chevalier
    Community Member

    I haven't yet. I suppose it might grate against my OCD LOL. There's an Email category in the app, I've GOT to use it. Another option might be to have all the security question stuff (actually I need to check, with 2FA now the norm, security questions might not even be a thing any more) in the entry under the Email category but delete the password and in the Notes Section (or add a new section called Password) then have a text entry 'See Log In for password'.

  • ag_ana
    ag_ana
    1Password Alumni

    @Chevalier:

    I also use a custom section to put security questions, it works well for me :+1:

  • Phudpucker9
    Phudpucker9
    Community Member

    @lerbi - I feel your pain. I've also been using 1P since Adam wore short pants - AND I'm a retired IT geek with 30+ years working with and supporting software since the CP/M days, but over they years I've noticed 1P becoming more and more complex with every release.

    Sure, I completely understand that there are undoubtedly some customers who need all the fancy bits, and I'm sure it keeps a lot of IT folks in jobs 'cos nobody else can work it out... but I agree with you that a subset of functionality for the average Joe seems like it should be a no-brainer. I'm always happy to pay for the product and I love the underlying philosophy, but I simply don't need 10,000 Vaults (including one called Primary for no obvious reason) - nor should I need to mess with customizable sections to keep my freaking logins and credit cards organized and accessible via my computer and mobile devices.

    I simply have better things to spend my time on now that I've earned my retirement and shouldn't be spending all day trying to make ANY software program work.

  • Hey @Phudpucker9

    but I simply don't need 10,000 Vaults (including one called Primary for no obvious reason) - nor should I need to mess with customizable sections to keep my freaking logins and credit cards organized and accessible via my computer and mobile devices.

    Fortunately both of those things (multiple vaults and custom sections / item details) are optional and can be ignored if not needed. :+1: This bit is concerning though:

    including one called Primary for no obvious reason

    If you're using a 1Password membership, but have a Primary vault, something didn't go right during migration. Please reach out to our folks at support@1password.com and we'll be happy to help get that sorted for you.

    but over they years I've noticed 1P becoming more and more complex with every release.

    I'm sure there is some truth in that. With 1Password 8 we're doing a ground up re-write of the 1Password apps and keeping simplicity in mind. If you'd like to check out the Early Access version, details are available here.

    Ben

  • lerbi
    lerbi
    Community Member
    edited October 2021

    @Phudpucker9 - You got it right. I'm in my 80th year and don't need all of these "improvements". That said, I do understand that 1Password can't maintain themselves as a viable company without the subscription model and the need to keep adding more and more subscribers. We've seen 1P go from a really nice, relatively simple, Mac app (that we all loved), to one that now pitches themselves more and more to businesses not to mention adding Windows users. It's a shame because, with no tangible product, eventually it's a business model that I don't believe can succeed over the long-term. Eventually, password managers are going to be completely absorbed into the major Operating Systems or, if Microsoft can make it work, passwords themselves will be eliminated.

    To be honest, I don't know what I'm going to do, but I'm leaning more strongly every day to finding another password manager IF - and it's a big IF - there is one out there that is what I'm looking for.

  • Phudpucker9
    Phudpucker9
    Community Member

    @Ben - Thanks for the prompt response. I do have a membership, but both myself and my wife ended up with Primary vaults as well as the family one and Private ones. Trying to sync them across all our devices is proving extremely painful (not to mentioned confusing) and I am in email contact with Alex in Support - but so far I'm just getting links to unrelated articles. I've requested some guidance and will see what he comes back with. Maybe the whole upgrade to V7 didn't go completely to plan - impossible for me to tell.

    Thanks again - I'll keep you posted. For what it's worth, I HATE it when paid subscriptions only get email support, when a 5-minute phone call would likely get things back on track and not create lengthy circular email dialogs trying to arrive at some mutual understanding of what the problem is... and that's before even beginning to resolve it.

  • Chevalier
    Chevalier
    Community Member

    @Ben Out of interest then, what should a 1PW account user have in terms of account identification within the desktop app when they open it. I have Firstly my actual name then under that I have Personal. In addition, I have two images, both the same, but one nestled within the other. It's as if it's using my 1PW Account icon then also assigning that icon to the Personal vault and displaying that image alongside the other. Might be useful for people with multiple vaults I suppose but for me it's just confusing, to the point of making me think have I done something wrong with the Migration.

    There's only me using it and I only have one vault, I'd rather just be able to clean that aspect up on the interface as I'm not sure if that's how it should be or if something is screwed up somewhere.

  • ag_ana
    ag_ana
    1Password Alumni

    @Phudpucker9:

    Trying to sync them across all our devices is proving extremely painful (not to mentioned confusing) and I am in email contact with Alex in Support - but so far I'm just getting links to unrelated articles. I've requested some guidance and will see what he comes back with. Maybe the whole upgrade to V7 didn't go completely to plan - impossible for me to tell.

    The good news is that if you have a Membership, you don't need to manually sync those additional vaults. Our recommendation is to remove the Primary vault altogether after the migration, so you don't have to handle it anymore and you can just sync everything via your account. Once we understand what happened, it will be easier to get you back to the expected configuration :+1:

  • aceebee
    aceebee
    Community Member

    I totally agree it is overcomplexified and painful now compared to earlier versions -- I truly HATE IT NOW. hate it. despise it. try not to have to use it.

    I prefer Enpass -- it is closer to what 1P used to be but even they have made it over complex starting around v6. I just don't need all this crap and multiple times 1pass has incorrectly imported csv files and really screwed the pooch -- really I totally hate it but I paid for it (by mistake) and now am stuck with it ... my family hates it too. it really has gone overboard. and it does not work well. so why why why do you people keep making it more complex and difficult? I am cancelling as soon as I figure out how.

  • aceebee
    aceebee
    Community Member

    it shouldn't take this much effort to work well and sync and just plain work. it is no longer Mac-like in that regard. way too much 'friction' for average users, really what are you people thinking? it reminds me of google: their engineers do stuff for other engineers, not everyday users. you have that same syndrome now. ridiculous.

  • ag_ana
    ag_ana
    1Password Alumni

    @aceebee:

    I totally agree it is overcomplexified and painful now compared to earlier versions

    What version are you using now, and what version are you referring to when you say "earlier versions"? Thanks!

  • clarino
    clarino
    Community Member

    Following up to Jack Platten who wrote "... the Passwords category might be better thought of as the PINs category. Your gym locker combination doesn't have a login, but you'd like to store your locker combination in a secure field,"

    Can you be clearer about how I should store a gym locker combination? It sounds like you're saying it should be a password. I've tried storing it as a password in a Login and a Password. Either way, 1P just calls it a Terrible password. What's the correct way to store a gym locker combo? Be explicit.

  • ag_ana
    ag_ana
    1Password Alumni
    edited December 2021

    @clarino:

    Can you be clearer about how I should store a gym locker combination?

    Jack was referring to creating a new item as a Password item (File > New Item > Password).

    It sounds like you're saying it should be a password.

    That's correct, that was the suggestion. For what it's worth, I also do the same with this type of codes.

    I've tried storing it as a password in a Login and a Password. Either way, 1P just calls it a Terrible password

    You might find this discussion, together with my colleague Ben's suggestion, useful to get rid of that warning :+1:

    What's the correct way to store a gym locker combo?

    For clarification, there isn't a correct way. The only correct way is the one that works best for you. For some people that will be a secure note, for others a password item, and I also know people who use Login items without a username for this type of information :) A Membership item could also be an option, now that I think about it:

  • lerbi
    lerbi
    Community Member
    edited April 2022

    So, as the OP of this thread, I thought I'd provide an update. Nothing has changed. I've tried a couple of other well regarded password managers and, at least for me, they are even worse than what 1Password has become. Does anything more need to be said when you realize that, as of this date, 1Password 8 hasn't even been released for the Mac yet we thousands of Mac users are what brought success to 1Password to begin with? Talk about forgetting who brought you to the dance! My thoughts haven't changed, the app has become far too complicated and is just overkill for what I suspect are the great majority of 1Password users. Hey 1`Password, we don't need all the bells and whistles. Stop it. I'm soooo frustrated with this app, yet can't find another viable alternative.

  • @lerbi

    Thank you for the update, I'm happy to hear that you've decided to stick with us. Are there any issues or complications in particular, that weren't addressed earlier in this thread, that are causing you grief at the moment? I'd love to be able to help if I can or to report those issues to our developers so that we can make 1Password even better.

    We're working hard on 1Password 8 for Mac and we think that we've made something amazing. 1Password 8 will feature a complete redesign that is easier and more intuitive to use. More importantly, the design will be shared across devices so that you see the same 1Password regardless of whether you're using your Mac or your iPhone. Keep an eye on our social media pages for exciting announcements ahead.

    I look forward to hearing from you. šŸ˜Š

  • kevan_Dalby
    kevan_Dalby
    Community Member

    Not sure if this is the correct place to post this but I have had nothing but problems since upgrading to 1PW 8 for Mac. Auto fill does not seem to work anymore, I am unable to tell if the correct version is being used on the Safari browser ( I dont see the little compass icon shown on the App Store ) and auto password suggestions also does not seem to work. This upgrade has been a big mistake on my part as far as I can see. How do I go back to the previous working version????? Or should I just cancel the subscription and go elsewhere??

  • tortugonal
    tortugonal
    Community Member

    I retired last summer. I still have plenty of reasons to continue using and supporting 1Password, but I think 1Password has moved pretty far in the direction of supporting the enterprise. At the same time, Apple has been improving its iCloud Keychain tools for passwords (now including 2FA support) such that iCloud Keychain and the built in Notes application for random info (including secure notes) will be able to replace 1Password for people who are students or post-career.

    This is not meant to disparage 1Password at all. Dave and his company made a decision to go after enterprise, and that drives complexity. That's where the cash is. If they saw or see in the future a way to either create a 1Password Lite product for less, or install a button in 1Password that toggles features (even if price is the same), they may appeal more to folks like us.

    If I pull out my crystal ball, I have to say that I think passwords will soon be going the way of the dodo. Already my most recent employer moved almost everyone to passwordless authentication, and I see many other places going the same way. It's true that those without a cellphone or equivalent equipment won't be served by this (and I deeply appreciate the economic justice arguments), but for a large swath of the population, in several years's time, passwords will be replaced by a biometric measurement (stored in a Secure Enclave so your fingerprint or whatever is not transmitted away from you) coupled with tokens tied to something you have.

  • Hi @kevan_Dalby:

    Are you still running into trouble with 1Password 8? Let me know if you are, and I'll be happy to dig in further with you!

    Jack

  • kevan_Dalby
    kevan_Dalby
    Community Member

    Hi Jack, things seem to have improved slightly but that may be because I am not trying to use it so much!!! I will monitor the situation and post again if issues continue. Thanks

  • Sounds good Kevin! We'll keep a light on for you.

This discussion has been closed.