iCloud session expired [check "keep me signed in" when you log into iCloud to get more than 8 hours]

Rich99
Rich99
Community Member
edited September 2017 in Mac

Why does the icloud session expire? I got the message that mine had expired (after providing my master password) and was taken to a web page to sign in to the 1Password manager. Since this was unexpected I closed that page and when I looked in the preferences I see that the icloud sync hasn't happened for 18 hours. My icloud connection to my Mac is still logged in. There is no button to request a sync operation so at this point my only option is to do a system restart and then log into 1password again. This seems like a gap in your interface design. There should be a button to force/request a sync and a counter to tell me when a session is going to expire would be informative or a notification telling me that the session will expire soon and I'll need to reestablish a 1password-icloud link.


1Password Version: Not Provided
Extension Version: Not Provided
OS Version: Not Provided
Sync Type: Not Provided

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Comments

  • AGAlumB
    AGAlumB
    1Password Alumni
    edited July 2017

    @Rich99: Thanks for reaching out. I’m sorry for the confusion! iCloud authentication is controlled solely by Apple, so I couldn't tell you exactly why it expired, only that it does occasionally, seemingly over time. Similarly, we can't force a sync with iCloud; that's handled by the server. You'd need to contact Apple directly for more information, or to make a feature/enhancement request. We just don't have the ability to get this information from them or to make these kinds of changes.

  • Rich99
    Rich99
    Community Member

    Thanks for the reply brenty. Just so I'm clear: the dialog box saying the session has expired is sent by the iCloud server and not by 1Password? What about that text telling me how long it has been since a sync between the local 1Password data and the iCloud server, is that also not under 1Password's ability to see?

  • Drew_AG
    Drew_AG
    1Password Alumni

    Hi @Rich99,

    Just so I'm clear: the dialog box saying the session has expired is sent by the iCloud server and not by 1Password?

    It's been quite some time since I've seen that error and I don't remember if it comes directly from iCloud or from the 1Password app. However, I'm not sure that matters because either way it means the same thing - if it's coming from 1Password, it's because that's what iCloud told the 1Password app when attempting to sync.

    When setting up sync with iCloud from the AgileBits Store version of 1Password for Mac, the way it works is that you're prompted to sign into your Apple ID via a web browser, and then 1Password is given an expiring token that it uses to access your iCloud account. We don't control when that token expires (that's up to Apple), but when it does, 1Password won't be able to sync with your iCloud account again until you sign into your Apple ID from the web browser again (that's the web page you said you closed).

    What about that text telling me how long it has been since a sync between the local 1Password data and the iCloud server, is that also not under 1Password's ability to see?

    Are you referring to the "Last synced:" message in 1Password > Preferences > Sync? If so, 1Password is generating that message, as it can tell how long it has been since the last successful sync took place (it's not specific to syncing with iCloud - for example, you would also see the "Last synced:" message if you were syncing via Dropbox). That isn't related to whether or not sync failed - it's simply an indication of the amount of time since the last sync happened.

    Hopefully that answers your questions, but please let us know if you need anything else. We're always happy to help! :)

  • Rich99
    Rich99
    Community Member

    Thanks for the extra information Drew_AG. I was asking primarily to see if there was a possibility of a "softer" fail or a way to initiate a sync event (to regenerate that request for an icloud login) without having to do a shutdown/restart. But it sounds like that is not possible.

  • Drew_AG
    Drew_AG
    1Password Alumni

    Hi @Rich99,

    There's no need to reboot your Mac in this situation. You said that after seeing the message about the iCloud session expiring, you were taken to a page that asked you to sign in with your Apple ID username and password. You closed that page, but if you had signed in, it would have generated a new token so 1Password could continue syncing with iCloud. Signing into your Apple ID on that page is simply a way to let iCloud know that it's ok for the 1Password app to read & write data in your iCloud account.

    So, if the token expires again at some point, just sign back into your Apple ID when prompted. Or if you close that page before signing in, just re-enable the iCloud option in 1Password > Preferences > Sync. I'm not sure what we could do to make that easier as we don't control how iCloud works, so there are limitations.

    Incidentally, we're not subject to the same kinds of limitations with our 1Password.com subscription service because that uses our own sync service, so it doesn't depend on a third party service such as iCloud or Dropbox. I don't know if you've considered switching to a 1Password.com account, but you can read about the benefits here: What are the benefits of a 1Password membership?

    We're here for you if you have more questions. Cheers! :)

  • larsen44
    larsen44
    Community Member

    You will need to sign in with your Apple ID to continue syncing 1Password with iCloud, how do I stop this? I do NOT want to sign into iCloud overtime I want to open 1password to retrieve a password. I have to click ok or the message will stay on the screen. I would rather not have a work around but a solution if one is possible. Thanks in advance!


    1Password Version: 1Password 6 Version 6.8 (680015)
    Extension Version: Not Provided
    OS Version: 10.12.6
    Sync Type: Not Provided
    Referrer: forum-search:Your iCloud session has expired. You will need to sign in with your Apple ID to continue syncing 1Password with iCloud, how do I stop this? I do NOT want to sign into iCloud overtime I want to open 1password to retrieve a password. I have to click ok or the message will stay on the screen. I would rather not have a work around but a solution if one is possible. Thanks in advance!

  • @larsen44,

    Thanks for writing in with your question. To disable iCloud sync you would open the 1Password Preferences window and click on the Sync tab. Then simply choose the Primary vault and set the sync pop-up button to None

    Rudy

  • larsen44
    larsen44
    Community Member

    Rudy,
    Thank you!
    Brad

  • @larsen44,

    Let us know if you have any other questions.

    Rudy

  • marcdz
    marcdz
    Community Member

    Is there an advantage to sync-ing with iCloud? I would particularly like if my 1Password data is available on both my Mac Book Pro and iPhone, perhaps also on my old iPad. I just started receiving an update "OK" message "Your iCloud session has expired. You will need to sign in with your Apple ID to continue syncing 1Password with iCloud" after entering my primary 1Password access password. I don't know what this is really indicating. Marc

  • marcdz
    marcdz
    Community Member

    btw is that "OK" message due to a recent 1Password update?

  • AGAlumB
    AGAlumB
    1Password Alumni

    @marcdz: It means that Apple requires you to login to your iCloud account in order for 1Password to be able to sync your data there. iCloud is nice because it's built into macOS and iOS, so syncing between Apple devices is easy. But 1Password.com is built into 1Password itself, so it doesn't require a separate login or configuration. Just some options to consider:

    1Password sync options

    Cheers! :)

  • MwVm8JK
    MwVm8JK
    Community Member

    I have been having the same issue and I can't find a solution so far. I do not want to disable iCloud sync.

    I think Agilebits should issue a patch, update or a solution.

    Thanks.

  • AGAlumB
    AGAlumB
    1Password Alumni

    I have been having the same issue and I can't find a solution so far. I do not want to disable iCloud sync.

    @MwVm8JK: It's certainly up to you, but it seems like it's worth a try to get it working. It sounds to me like it's effectively disabled anyway if it isn't working because the iCloud token is expired, so you have literally nothing to lose and everything to gain.

    To be clear, disabling iCloud sync will not affect your 1Password data. 1Password has it's own internal database. Disabling it and setting it up again should allow you to reauthenticate with iCloud if your session is expired.

    I think Agilebits should issue a patch, update or a solution. Thanks.

    We can't. This is how iCloud works, and only Apple has any control over that.

  • marcdz
    marcdz
    Community Member

    Trying to establish the new sync setting using iCloud (w/2d authentication) is not working for me. After supplying required password, and 2nd iCloud confirm code, I end up in my browser with a small “sync” circle that never finishes, making me think sync is not happening. I’m finding this quite frustrating

  • @marcdz,

    are you using Chrome or Firefox? the callback that should be reaching us to tell us that the auth was successful is being trapped by your browser because the first attempt to open that callback url you picked the "let my browser handle it". Firefox does let you change those handlers, Chrome doesn't make it at all remotely easy to fix its configuration.

    Rudy

  • marcdz
    marcdz
    Community Member

    actually, using Safari, as I've been since the days of the G-5 (my Mac conversion).

  • tonyl4
    tonyl4
    Community Member

    I just started getting the iCloud session expired popup window, too. Each time, when I clicked on OK and entered my iCloud username and password, Firefox started opening MANY multiple, blank tabs. It seemed to be in an endless loop and I had to Force Quit Firefox to stop it. This happened twice today and its happened 4 or 5 times over the past two days. After the second time today, I said screw it and went back to syncing with Dropbox.

    IMHO, iCloud sync and 1Password are not ready for reliable syncing.

  • AGAlumB
    AGAlumB
    1Password Alumni

    @rudy: I always forget this since it's a relatively recent development, but Safari asks the user if they want to open the app too now.

    @marcdz: We're you unable to sign in to iCloud in Safari? I know this can be confusing, but after you do Safari will usually just sit there with a spinning circle even though it was successful. You can simply close the tab/window after you've gotten the prompt from 1Password saying it succeeded. If you're still having trouble, disabling iCloud and re-enabling it will force the re-authentication so you can sign in again to get a session token from Apple.

  • AGAlumB
    AGAlumB
    1Password Alumni

    @tonyl4: I dunno, I've been using both for years. But a recent change to iCloud has definitely caused some trouble for some folks, as the session tokens are now expiring much more quickly — especially if you don't choose the "remember me" option. It may be easier to switch to Safari temporarily to do the iCloud authentication. It sounds like Firefox is rejecting the attempt to authenticate with iCloud, so 1Password keeps trying again because you'd told it to sync that way. Worth a short, but certainly Dropbox is a good option too — and a bit more flexible with regard to setup. Cheers! :)

  • GeekChickLife
    GeekChickLife
    Community Member

    I am also having this issue. It started last week and is happening on both my iMac and Macbook. Every couple of days (sometimes every day) I get the notice.

    Once you enter your Apple ID and allow 1Password to have access, the browser window goes into an infinite spinning loop on Apple's page. The only way I've been able to fix this is to close that open tab. Then the 1Password extension works normally.

    It's pretty annoying. I have been using iCloud sync ever since the option with 1Password was made available. I have never had an issue until this past week. I am using Safari so it's not just an issue with Firefox (because I've had it happen there as well). I haven't attempted it with Chrome yet. It definitely seems to be something with iCloud tokens expiring regardless of what browser you use.

  • @GeekChickLife,

    The browser doesn't factor in to the expiration at all. On the sign-in page that appears you need to select "remember me" to get iCloud sync token expiry to last 30 days. Without the checkbox it will expire after 8 hours. This is Apple's service and their rules for token expiry.

    Rudy

  • GeekChickLife
    GeekChickLife
    Community Member

    Ah, that makes sense. Although I don't recall having to do that in the past. Must be something different with the tokens now?

    Thanks for the tip!

  • AGAlumB
    AGAlumB
    1Password Alumni

    @GeekChickLife: Yeah, sorry if I confused you there. Indeed, recently Apple changed the expiration and also the process going forward (the short expiration if you do not set "remember me"). Cheers! :)

  • GeekChickLife
    GeekChickLife
    Community Member

    :)

  • AGAlumB
    AGAlumB
    1Password Alumni

    ;) :+1:

  • rr0ss0rr
    rr0ss0rr
    Community Member

    Version 6.8.1.BETA-2 (681002)

    This was the 2nd time in 3 days that I was told that my iCloud session expired .. It then prompts me to log into iCloud .. then told that sync'ing will be enabled .. Syncing looks fine when I checked afterwards


    1Password Version: Not Provided
    Extension Version: Not Provided
    OS Version: Not Provided
    Sync Type: Not Provided

  • @rr0ss0rr,

    see https://discussions.agilebits.com/discussion/comment/385164/#Comment_385164 for the reason why this is happening.

    TL:DR: you need to check "remember me" on the sign-in page to get it to expire after 30 days.

    Rudy

  • rr0ss0rr
    rr0ss0rr
    Community Member

    Thanks

  • On behalf of Rudy, you're welcome. :)

This discussion has been closed.