Can I force Sync 1Password between the devices we use - W10 PC / MacBook Pro / iPad / iPhone?

If we create a new entry in 1Password on one of our devices what dictates how soon this is syncd with other devices & can one force sync a particular device?
Thanks
Colin


1Password Version: 6.8.196
Extension Version: Firefox 4.7.0.90
OS Version: W10
Sync Type: 1Password default.
Referrer: forum-search:Can I force Sync 1Password between the devices we use - W10 PC / MacBook Pro / iPad / iPhone?

Comments

  • Greg
    Greg
    1Password Alumni

    Hi @Colin_Foster,

    If you are using 1Password account on all of your devices, sync should be seamless for you, so it is not possible to force sync.

    If you bumped into the syncing issues with 1Password 6 on your Windows PC, you can try to edit/save an existing item in your vault to trigger sync. Additionally, you can try to update to 1Password 7 Beta for Windows, as we've made a lot of improvements there:

    Introducing 1Password 7 Beta for Windows

    Let me know if it helps. Thank you! :+1:

    Cheers,
    Greg

  • eelliott
    eelliott
    Community Member

    Hi, I see from above that there is no "force sync"... but the lack of that does impose some user 'friction'. Here is my recent example: due to the Twitter bug, I went in on my iPhone and generated a new password with 1P. I then used that to update my Twitter account on the phone. I then went to my Win10 PC to do the same... but the new password had not yet populated to the desktop 1P app... I then opened 1P on my browser, and saw that the new password was there, so I copy / paste and updated Twitter on the PC. It took almost 10 minutes before the desktop app finally synced. I even tried closing and relaunching several times hoping this would shake things loose but not..

    I typically update most of my passwords every 6 months, and tend to do that in a session. I don't have the same apps on the PC, phone, iPad, etc. so I update on each device. For the many apps that do share (Twitter, FB, LinkedIn, etc.) it would be nice to have the 1P apps sync more rapidly, or be able to force a sync. The "Crtl-\" shortcut only appears to work with the desktop app, not the browser version, so even if the browser is open and has updated, I can't quickly update the passwords.

  • AGAlumB
    AGAlumB
    1Password Alumni

    Hi, I see from above that there is no "force sync"... but the lack of that does impose some user 'friction'. Here is my recent example: due to the Twitter bug, I went in on my iPhone and generated a new password with 1P. I then used that to update my Twitter account on the phone. I then went to my Win10 PC to do the same... but the new password had not yet populated to the desktop 1P app... I then opened 1P on my browser, and saw that the new password was there, so I copy / paste and updated Twitter on the PC. It took almost 10 minutes before the desktop app finally synced. I even tried closing and relaunching several times hoping this would shake things loose but not..

    @eelliott: That's definitely not a great experience. I'm sorry about that. Can you tell me which versions you're using? We've made a lot of improvements recently that might help if you're behind, and if not — and you're not in a situation where something else is interfering — then there may even more we can do yet to improve things.

    I typically update most of my passwords every 6 months,

    I'm sorry to cut you off here, but please don't do that. You're just making more work for yourself, and there is no security benefit to changing passwords except in the following circumstances:

    • Password is weak
    • Password is reused
    • Password is compromised

    Even the NIST now recommends against this — and they're the ones who suggested password changes in the first place! Sometimes we do need to change passwords, but we can save ourselves the trouble the rest of the time if we're already using a long, strong, unique password for each site. :)

    and tend to do that in a session. I don't have the same apps on the PC, phone, iPad, etc. so I update on each device. For the many apps that do share (Twitter, FB, LinkedIn, etc.) it would be nice to have the 1P apps sync more rapidly, or be able to force a sync.

    We'll definitely continue to improve syncing in every way we can since that benefits everyone. Thanks for your feedback on this!

    The "Crtl-\" shortcut only appears to work with the desktop app, not the browser version, so even if the browser is open and has updated, I can't quickly update the passwords.

    Can you clarify what you're referring to here? There may be something I can suggest.

  • eelliott
    eelliott
    Community Member

    Thanks for your detailed reply. To be concise, here are the answers/comments to your notes:
    1. iOS version is 7.0.6 ; desktop is 6.8.534
    2. I agree about not changing very strong passwords managed by 1P. I'm slowly converting all my prior passwords, but there are a few practical (to me anyway) reasons why I use some 'self-generated' (but strong) passwords: a) 1P generated strong passwords are really only usable if both the app and the target are on the same machine (to hard to easily remember and type in, even if phone is next to computer, etc.), and there are times where I must log into an account from a machine that I don't own. For instance, I travel a lot, and it's imperative that I can always log into my online banking, even if my phone or computer is stolen, so I have to have a password that is strong but can be memorized. Those are typically the ones I change every 6 months. b) Some sites I do need to visit, but consider their own security less than ideal, I prefer to change periodically to prevent hacking, even of just that one site.
    3. The "Crtl-\" shortcut is what I use all the time on my desktop to fill in log-in fields on websites, etc. As mentioned above, the web version of 1P seems to update much more quickly, but that keyboard shortcut does not work with the web version, only with the desktop version of 1P. For instance, if I update a record on the iOS app, the web version gets synced within 1-2 minutes, but the other "downstream" apps (in this case, iPad and Desktop) take 5-10 minutes before getting updated. It seems the push to the web is much faster than the push back down to other devices. So even if the web version is updated, I must manually copy and paste any of the fields that were updated - from the web version into the target fields. Hope that explains it.

  • AGAlumB
    AGAlumB
    1Password Alumni

    Thanks for your detailed reply. To be concise, here are the answers/comments to your notes:
    1. iOS version is 7.0.6 ; desktop is 6.8.534

    @eelliott: Thanks for letting me know! Indeed, we've made a ton of improvements in the 1Password for Windows version 7 beta. Please check it out and let me know if that helps.

    1. I agree about not changing very strong passwords managed by 1P. I'm slowly converting all my prior passwords, but there are a few practical (to me anyway) reasons why I use some 'self-generated' (but strong) passwords: a) 1P generated strong passwords are really only usable if both the app and the target are on the same machine (to hard to easily remember and type in, even if phone is next to computer, etc.), and there are times where I must log into an account from a machine that I don't own. For instance, I travel a lot, and it's imperative that I can always log into my online banking, even if my phone or computer is stolen, so I have to have a password that is strong but can be memorized. Those are typically the ones I change every 6 months. b) Some sites I do need to visit, but consider their own security less than ideal, I prefer to change periodically to prevent hacking, even of just that one site.

    That's a really good point. Sometimes it's necessary to use memorable (and typeable!) passwords. However, while these can feel like they might be insecure, if you use 1Password to generate a word-based password of 4 words or more, they have a ton of entropy and are incredibly strong — in addition to being human-usable!

    You raise another really good point about using untrusted machines though. Certainly we don't recommend logging into accounts that matter in those cases. But if you do, I'd argue that 6 months is too long; it's important to change the password as soon as you're back at a machine you know you can trust. It's also less of a time sink and cognitive load to have to remember then, if you do it on a case-by-case basis instead of "batching" them for up to 6 months. So while I'm not sure we should design around that use case, I'm glad you brought it up because it's an interesting example, and one worth considering.

    1. The "Crtl-\" shortcut is what I use all the time on my desktop to fill in log-in fields on websites, etc. As mentioned above, the web version of 1P seems to update much more quickly, but that keyboard shortcut does not work with the web version, only with the desktop version of 1P. For instance, if I update a record on the iOS app, the web version gets synced within 1-2 minutes, but the other "downstream" apps (in this case, iPad and Desktop) take 5-10 minutes before getting updated. It seems the push to the web is much faster than the push back down to other devices. So even if the web version is updated, I must manually copy and paste any of the fields that were updated - from the web version into the target fields. Hope that explains it.

    That's very helpful! In some cases, the way things are setup on Windows prevents the app from getting notified of changes. It really sounds like the new Windows app may help a lot though, and if it doesn't, please let us know so we can get some additional details and improve it even further. Thanks! :)

  • eelliott
    eelliott
    Community Member

    Thanks Brenty. In addition to the overall great function of 1P (in spite of these little glitches it's a well designed app), the rapid and detailed feedback / help that I have consistently experienced from your team is just as valuable to me as the app itself. I am constantly recommending this app to my associates and friends.

    I will try out the 7Beta today and let you know.

  • AGAlumB
    AGAlumB
    1Password Alumni

    @eelliott: Thanks so much for the kind words! Honestly, I feel a bit guilty accepting them though because I get so much enjoyment out of discussions like this. Truly all of us here at AgileBits are able to continue doing what we love because of support from you and the rest of our awesome customers. And you going out of your way to share words of appreciation is icon on the cake. I hope you have a great weekend, and, depending on where you call home, hopefully some lovely weather to go along with that. Cheers! :chuffed:

  • eelliott
    eelliott
    Community Member

    Thanks Brenty. Home is Cape Town, South Africa. Here's a peek of a typical sunset from my balcony...

  • AGAlumB
    AGAlumB
    1Password Alumni

    Holy cow! It looks like a great weekend indeed! Thank you for sharing that! :love:

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