Why 3 steps in Windows vs 1 step in Mac for biometric authentication?

For the moment, we don't have the option to automatically authenticate with Hello, @TexBuck and @rosenkrieger. We ask Windows to authenticate you with Hello when you invoke it (which can be done just by pressing Enter with an empty Master Password field focused), then Windows handles the rest of that process – the authentication and the confirmation step. I think we'd be open to eliminating the confirmation step, but that's outside our control at the moment. An Enter press can also confirm, for what it's worth, so your workflow can be Enter > touch sensor (or look at camera) > Enter, which is pretty quick in my experience.

Something to consider with Hello as well is that fingerprint isn't the only supported authentication method available – you can unlock with your camera as well, in a vein similar to Face ID. With Touch ID, you're able to control when 1Password unlocks by touching the fingerprint sensor (or not) – something you can't do when unlocking with facial recognition. We don't want 1Password unlocking unexpectedly and the best way to do this with the current tools available to us is to ask y'all to invoke Hello when you're ready to unlock.

On a purely personal note, I actually prefer this and even set my Windows login screen to require I invoke Hello specifically. When I first got my Surface, my PC would unlock at times because I glanced at the screen to check the time forcing me to lock it again before walking away. For this reason, I don't think we'll likely eliminate the requirement to affirmatively invoke Hello to unlock, but we certainly will keep your feedback in mind and, as the methods by which we can access Hello to unlock change and expand, we'll continue to reevaluate how this process can be improved. :+1:

Absolutely, @rosenkrieger – that's why I mentioned that was merely a personal note. It's relevant only to the extent that there are reasons this was the initial implementation. I'm sorry if it read otherwise. That doesn't mean this won't ever change. As it stands, our role is limited to asking Windows to authenticate – everything past that is handled by the OS – so anything else would involve building a more customized method of doing this beyond simply calling the Hello API, which would take time. The best I can do you right away is suggest options like enter to invoke and confirm that can make this a bit more smooth for now, but as we polish off other projects and have the opportunity to explore additional features we've had on the backburner for a time, Hello definitely has room for some improvements and we're certainly open to changes. :+1:

@Cartman: Honestly, while it's not something we'd recommend, it's your call if you want to leave 1Password unlocked for extended periods of time. We just can't have 1Password unlock Windows for you, or not have 1Password require the Master Password the first time, as that's needed to decrypt the data. I don't know about you, but I am not using 1Password most of the time I am using my computer, so I do find it useful to have that locked much of the time. Food for thought. :)