Previously used passwords have confusing time stamps - should be when created, not when superceded

When a password is changed, the old password is displayed in the "Previously used passwords" list with a timestamp. I expect the timestamp to be the date and time that the password was created, but it is the date and time that the new password was created (or when the old password was added to the previously used passwords list). This is the opposite of what I expect as a user browsing a list of passwords - if a timestamp is included, I think it makes much more sense for it to be the creation date, not the date I stopped using that password.

If the intended meaning of the timestamps in the previous passwords list is "this password was used until this date", a label making this clear might help. In the absence of any indication otherwise, most computer experience leads people to assume that timestamps indicate creation or modification, not "stopped using".

Thanks for considering this suggestion!

Kendall


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Comments

  • gordcook
    gordcook
    Community Member

    @kendalllister I would disagree. It makes perfect sense to me that the timestamp is when it became a previously used password. That entry in the previously used password list did not exist before that point in time. So, from that perspective, it is the creation time.

    most computer experience leads people to assume that timestamps indicate creation or modification

    To your point, the timestamp does indicate the date that particular password was modified.

    The big problem with making the timestamp identify its creation date is that there would be no way to determine when the password was last changed.

    That said, I don't think it would hurt to put a word like "changed" or "modified" in front of the timestamp, IMO.

  • Greg
    Greg
    1Password Alumni

    Hi @kendalllister,

    Thank you for getting in touch and using 1Password!

    gordcook is right here: that timestamp indicates the date when you "updated" your old password and generated a new one. There is a lot of people and it is hard to make the interface that would be obvious to everyone. We are trying, though. :) Do you check your old passwords often? Please let us know.

    By the way, if you use 1Password account, you can view previous versions of your items on 1Password.com:

    View and restore previous versions of items

    I hope it helps. Thank you!

    ++
    Greg

  • kendalllister
    kendalllister
    Community Member

    Yes, I understand the counter-argument - I just don't happen to think it holds water ;) I didn't "update" my old password, I created a new one. But, having had my opinion heard, I won't labour the point - thanks for considering my suggestion!

    Regarding do I check my old passwords often, no, but every time I do I get confused by the timestamp ;) And since I usually only check them when something confusing has already happened, such as I tried to create a new password for a web site but 1Password didn't remember it, it's not a good time for extra confusion.

    I have one password that has to be changed monthly, and because 1Password can't automatically update it when I change it, I frequently get confused about which password is which, since I just created a new one but there is another one with a timestamp of "now".

  • Greg
    Greg
    1Password Alumni

    Hi @kendalllister,

    Thank you for your reply! Do you mind sharing the URL of that website, so we could check why 1Password can't update the password there, or is it some kind of internal stuff? Please let me know. Thanks! :+1:

    ++
    Greg

  • kendalllister
    kendalllister
    Community Member
    edited March 2019

    It’s not a web site, it’s a VPN connection, so I wasn’t expecting 1Password to be able to update the entry automatically - it's just that the manual update process involves a few steps back and forth between 1Password and Windows, and when anything goes wrong I get confused about which password is which, since there is a password in my previously used list with a time stamp of now. It sounds silly to get confused about such a thing when I’m describing it here, but in the moment, it happens :)

  • AGAlumB
    AGAlumB
    1Password Alumni

    Well, we would like 1Password to be able to offer to save/update everywhere! :lol: Seriously, if you encounter an issue like that, we'd be happy to test it to see if there's something we can do to improve it, as that could help many 1Password users. :chuffed:

    Anyway, the purpose of the "previously used passwords feature is a kind of timeline, or "log", if you will. So you'll have the "created date" of the item itself as the starting point, with a timestamp for each password change, which is helpful if you have to retrace your steps. We'll see if we can make that clearer, without causing the opposite confusion for others. Thanks for your feedback! :)

  • kendalllister
    kendalllister
    Community Member

    I'm using the VPN client that is built-in to Windows - I assumed that 1Password wouldn't be able to hook in to that process, but if you'd like to make it work I certainly wouldn't say no :)

  • AGAlumB
    AGAlumB
    1Password Alumni

    Definitely not something we can integrate like we do web browsers, who give us extension APIs to do so. But you may be able to use the "Type in window" feature by right-clicking the item and selecting the window you want to fill in from its menu -- and we'll continue to build on that feature over time as well. Otherwise Ctrl Alt \ and a quick search will get you to the item to copy and paste. :)

This discussion has been closed.