Constant Touch ID Safari Prompts

ings
ings
Community Member

Hi,

Why does iOS Safari prompt me for Touch ID every time I use the auto fill integration feature to log on to a web site? The 1Password app does not do this - it only auto locks after an hour, as per my current 1Password settings.

I use 1Password heavily on multiple platforms I.e. I love it, but this one behaviour drives me nuts! It’s less annoying on my iPhone due to Face ID, but the point is why doesn’t Safari only prompt as often as the app does? Apple integration limitation?

Thanks.


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Comments

  • ag_ana
    ag_ana
    1Password Alumni

    Hi @ings!

    If you open 1Password and go to Settings > Security > Lock on Exit, is the setting currently enabled? Is that the setting you referred to in your post?

    In addition to this, under 1Password > Settings > Advanced > Security > Always show lock screen for Password AutoFill, is the setting currently enabled too?

  • ings
    ings
    Community Member
    edited May 2019

    Hi @ag_ana

    I checked my iPhone (with Face ID) and iPad ( withTouch ID) side by side. Each has the following 1Password settings:

    Settings -> Security -> Lock on Exit: Off
    Settings -> Security -> Auto-Lock: 1 hour (iPad), 10 minutes (iPhone)
    Settings -> Advanced -> Security -> (Always Show Lock Screen For) Password Autofill: Off

    Both devices are behaving the same with Safari auto fill login, except that the requested authentication is passive with my iPhone due to Face ID being requested instead of Touch ID.

    Perhaps it's an iOS integration limitation, but to me it makes no sense that no authentication is required if I task switch to the 1Password app (if Lock on Exit is off), but authentication is required if I use 1Password from within Safari!

    Thanks.

  • AGAlumB
    AGAlumB
    1Password Alumni

    @ings: I think there's actually a pretty simple explanation for this, hidden in your original comments:

    Why does iOS Safari prompt me for Touch ID every time I use the auto fill integration feature to log on to a web site? The 1Password app does not do this - it only auto locks after an hour, as per my current 1Password settings.

    If you unlock the 1Password iOS extension or Autofill with your Master Password, this cannot enable biometrics (Touch ID, Face ID); you need to unlock the main 1Password app for that to happen.

    So if you unlocked the main 1Password app with your Master Password, you'd be able to use biometrics even with the extension or Autofill...for an hour. Then you would need to unlock the main 1Password app with your Master Password again in order to enable biometrics. Does that help? :)

  • ings
    ings
    Community Member
    edited May 2019

    Hi @brenty

    Your comment is interesting, but it doesn't exactly address my issue, which is why is Safari AutoFill always prompting for biometrics even when 1Password is unlocked. However I may have discovered what is going on, as follows:

    I've noticed "Settings -> Advanced -> Security -> (Always Show Lock Screen For) Password AutoFill" doesn't really do what it says, or perhaps I should say it silently does more than it says.

    With this setting off (the default) I get the behaviour I complained about - Safari always prompts me for a biometric during AutoFill.

    Set this setting to on the behaviour changes in TWO ways: (1) as advertised, the lock screen briefly flashes on the display, and (2) I am NOT prompted for a biometric during AutoFill! This is actually the behaviour I want, except for the visual clutter of the flashing! So ... the settings description text is misleading and/or incomplete. (Note that the extended description only contributes to the confusion: "Enable this setting if you always want to see the 1Password lock screen when using Password AutoFill" ... no mention of biometric behaviour change.)

    As an end user I can't tell if the descriptive text or the underlying code is wrong (i.e. what's the design point) but they don't appear to be in sync.

  • AGAlumB
    AGAlumB
    1Password Alumni

    @ings: I'm not sure I follow you on the subject of advertisement, but I agree that the setting you're referring to is a bit confusing. I'm not sure of a better way to phrase it, that would still fit there. :tongue: Essentially, we're talking about showing 1Password's lock screen UI instead of just letting Autofill handle it. There's more to it of course, so it's definitely not something that's going to fit in the description in settings. I prefer it with 1Password, but some people prefer Autofill, which is admittedly more blended into the OS. We don't have control over the behaviour of Autofill, so there may be some subconscious bias toward having 1Password's UI instead. :lol: Not sure what you mean by "the flashing" though. Can you clarify?

  • ings
    ings
    Community Member

    Hi @brenty

    Not sure what you mean by "the flashing" though. Can you clarify?

    During Safari AutoFill, after I've selected which id/pw I wish to auto fill with, the lock screen slides up (appears) from the bottom of the screen, resides in the middle of the screen for perhaps 1/2 a second, and then slides down (disappears) off the bottom of the screen. After it disappears the id and pw fields on the web form have been filed in. At no time during this was I prompted for a biometric.

    It's very much like an animation, and takes less than one second.

    Is something else suppose to happen? Right now it appears to be an animation without purpose.

  • @ings

    Do you have 1Password > Settings > Advanced > Security > Always show lock screen for Password AutoFill enabled (disabled by default)?

    Ben

  • ings
    ings
    Community Member

    Hi @Ben

    I have experimented with that setting turned on and off (after @ag_ana) pointed it out to me. With it off, I get the perplexing biometric prompt with AutoFill (as per above). With it on, I get the lock screen "flashing" but no biometric prompt during AutoFill.

    I fear we're losing sight of the forest for the trees. :-) The original observation/usability complaint, which still stands, is that using AutoFill inside Safari, with default settings, results in biometric prompts even when the 1Password app is already unlocked.

  • I fear we're losing sight of the forest for the trees. :-) The original observation/usability complaint, which still stands, is that using AutoFill inside Safari, with default settings, results in biometric prompts even when the 1Password app is already unlocked.

    Correct. That is the result of iOS handling unlocking instead of 1Password directly, which is why the "always show lock screen" setting exists (to have iOS delegate unlocking to 1Password).

    With it on, I get the lock screen "flashing" but no biometric prompt during AutoFill.

    That's expected. :) We've discussed ways in which we might be able to improve this, but thus far I don't think we have anything solid.

    Ben

  • ings
    ings
    Community Member
    edited May 2019

    Hi @Ben

    Correct. That is the result of iOS handling unlocking instead of 1Password directly, which is why the "always show lock screen" setting exists (to have iOS delegate unlocking to 1Password).

    Bingo! :-) OK that (the delegation) now makes sense to me and explains the behaviour I'm observing. Given that, my only "complaint" remaining is that, as per discussion with @brenty above, the advanced setting controlling this behaviour is rather obscurely described!

    Thanks again. The 1Password team is the best!

  • OK that (the delegation) now makes sense to me and explains the behaviour I'm observing. Given that, my only "complaint" remaining is that, as per discussion with @brenty above, the advanced setting controlling this behaviour is rather obscurely described!

    I agree, and I've actually lobbied to have this be the default but there are some good counter arguments as well. We do have some documentation updates in the works as well, but we're waiting to see what improvements might be able to be made to the app itself before we push those out. Glad to hear that explanation helps. :)

    The 1Password team is the best!

    You're too kind. :blush: Thanks for saying so.

    Ben

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