Sync Bundle MAC+PC with iPhone?

Hi @pmargaritoff,

All the various platforms can synchronise but it depending on how you want to sync there may be restrictions. For example.

1. iCloud Sync. iCloud is part of Apple's ecosphere. iCloud Sync uses an iCloud Drive framework titled CloudKit and only applications and apps obtained via Apple's stores can access this framework. iCloud Sync is separate from iCloud Drive so the ability to view iCloud Drive on a Windows machine isn't the same. 1Password for Windows cannot access the required frameworks and so cannot use iCloud Sync.
2. Dropbox. This is a very versatile option. It works on every platform that 1Password is available for. If you want to sync multiple machines and mobile devices spread over various platforms this is really your best bet by a large, large margin. All the versions of 1Password you've purchased so far support Dropbox as we support it in every version.
3. Wi-Fi Sync. We're seeing improvement here such that I believe it works on all platforms. There is one significant restriction though, Wi-Fi Sync is between a single desktop/laptop and one or more mobile devices. If you want to sync multiple machines then the most stress-free option is Dropbox.

As you can see, I keep referring to Dropbox and if you want to mix Mac and Windows I would strongly encourage you to consider it.

If you're willing to consider Dropbox and need assistance please let us know. If you want to purchase the Mac App Store version of 1Password we can do a partial refund for you (as I assume you wish to keep 1Password for Windows) but iCloud is limited to syncing between Macs and iOS devices, hence the Dropbox suggestion. We'll wait to hear back from you before proceeding.

Hi @pmargaritoff,

Thank you for posting the URL, it helps us understand how people use the help system and where something might need improving. Sometimes people will indicate there is a weakness but where is just as important as what is missing so thank you. Of course getting just the right level of information on each page is tricky but that's why we have people who live for this sort of thing :smile:

So Dropbox is a third party solution but that's also its strength. They have created clients that work on all the platforms. So from a high level perspective you:

1. Create an account.
2. Download the client onto each machine and device you want to synchronise files between.
3. Install (if Mac or Windows) and log into your Dropbox account.
4. Instruct 1Password to use Dropbox to store an Agile Keychain for syncing.

Obviously that seems reasonably easy when described at that level. We have some guides that cover this and include screenshots to help cement everything in place.

• Sync with Dropbox (Mac)
• Sync with Dropbox (iOS).

Here is what I propose.

1. Visit https://dropbox.com and create an account with them. The free account option will sufficient for your needs, actually more than sufficient unless you start really using it heavily.
2. If you create the account from your Mac they'll suggest downloading and installing the client. If memory serves me correctly they guide you through the process. You only need to authorise yourself once with the client and it will automatically launch each time you boot the Mac up. In many ways it's just like iCloud, it runs in the background and ensures a local copy of file or files are kept up to date with what is stored on the server.
3. On your iPhone you will want to download their iOS app as it just makes life so much easier for 1Password to interact with Dropbox. In iTunes or the iOS App Store searching for dropbox should be all you need to do but if you're having any troubles this link, https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/dropbox/id327630330?mt=8 should help. After the iOS app has been installed on your iPhone you will want to open the app and log into your new account.

At this point what you have is an iPhone and Mac connected to the same Dropbox account. Anything added to your Dropbox folder on one device will be visible on the other. Now we want to instruct 1Password for iOS to synchronise a copy of your vault to Dropbox.

If you haven't set up any syncing at all yet then our guide, Sync with Dropbox (iOS) from step 2. (as this is your only vault) should help you go from having your vault only on your iPhone to having your vault also in Dropbox.

If you set up iCloud Sync believing that would work then we need to disable that first. The steps are a little different but we cover them on this other page, How do I switch to Dropbox Sync from another method? and you want to ignore the first part that is titled 1Password 5 for Mac and skip to closer to the bottom of the page where you will find a section titled On your iOS devices…. You may find the Sync with Dropbox (iOS) guide assists with what happens after step 3. from this guide.

That's a lot of links so it might seem a bit daunting. Hopefully though the steps are clear and the images help guide you along.

If you reach this stage though you have Dropbox installed and 1Password for iOS will have stored an Agile Keychain in Dropbox - we're halfway there!

If you haven't launched 1Password for Mac yet or to be a bit more precise, if it still asks you if you're an existing user or a new user then when you next launch it should automatically find the data in Dropbox and ask you for your Master Password as you use on your iOS device. If it doesn't then this page, Sync existing Dropbox data should guide you through how to tell 1Password that you now have a vault in Dropbox that you want it to use.

If everything has gone well, 1Password for Mac and 1Password for iOS will both continue to look to the Agile Keychain stored in Dropbox for any changes as well as write to it with any additions or modifications made locally. You should have a primary vault that is identical on both your Mac and iPhone, that use the same Master Password and stay synchronised.

The next step is to incorporate the Windows machine but with your permission I'd like to first ensure we have the Mac and iPhone talking. Hopefully that seems like a reasonable plan to you and we'll see how you find all of that information. Should you find any part unclear or you have questions please do ask.

Just as an aside, I found your original post was quite polite and reasoned. You had concluded that you could not sync the various copies you had purchased and that's a pretty good reason to be unhappy. My goal is to see if I can change your current opinion of 1Password :smile: All of what we're doing here is a one-off. Once sync is set up it will be something that works in the background and doesn't require your attention.

Fantastic news @pmargaritoff, I'm happy we could help get things set up properly and running smoothly. I hope 1Password works well for you but should you ever have any questions or issues at all please do join us once more in the forums and we'll do everything we can to help you :smile:

Just to address @littlebobbytables first point regarding iCloud - this is not the case. As of 19th September there is a preliminary public web services API that enables CloudKit to be used on other platforms, such as Windows. Hopefully this will be implemented in 1Password fairly rapidly.

@admdly: We're really not interested in exposing our customers' (or our own!) data to prerelease sync APIs, but we are exploring this as things develop.

And for the record,

iCloud Sync uses an iCloud Drive framework titled CloudKit and only applications and apps obtained via Apple's stores can access this framework.

is absolutely true. CloudKitJS is, according to Apple's own documentation,

an API or technology in development

So no, we're not in a hurry, but we're interested in adding this to other platforms when it's ready. ;)