It’s been greater than three years since 1Password launched its final main replace for Mac. That’s to not say the corporate has been idle. Far from it, the truth is, however macOS customers haven’t had a major refresh to stay up for till now. Following early entry previews on Linux and Windows, now you can strive 1Password 8, the most recent model of the corporate’s desktop app, on Mac. The replace brings with it a number of enhancements to the password supervisor.       

One of the primary belongings you’ll discover is how classes have moved from the sidebar to a dropdown menu you possibly can entry from beneath the search bar. 1Password co-founder David Teare advised Engadget that’s a choice the corporate made to spotlight completely different accounts and vaults with out forcing customers to entry a separate mode. 

A aim the developer set out for itself when it began work on 1Password 8 was to make the app higher at highlighting all of the methods you possibly can share completely different vaults and login credentials between members of the family and associates. You’ll see that strategy mirrored all through the app, beginning with once you first open it.

The lock display screen now consists of icons that show what accounts you’ll open. Moreover, when you’re in the primary interface, you’ll see extra contextual data all through. For instance, once you’re about to maneuver a login, a pop-up window will seem to let you know who will acquire entry to that data in consequence.

With the emphasis on sharing, 1Password is doubling down on paid memberships. While the writing has been on the wall for some time, 1Password 8 will not permit you to sync your accounts and vaults over Dropbox, iCloud or every other providers apart from 1Password. According to Teare, the corporate determined to discontinue help for third-party syncing for a handful of causes. “It’s hard to do sharing using a platform for syncing that doesn’t have a concept of other users,” he mentioned. 

One of the opposite targets 1Password set for itself with this new app was to maintain issues acquainted. However, there are areas the place the corporate experimented. It’s most obvious within the new Watchtower view. That part of the software program will nonetheless warn you you probably have weak, reused and compromised passwords, however will accomplish that utilizing a brand new dashboard view that’s just like how opponents like Dashlane and LastPass current the knowledge of their merchandise. Teare mentioned 1Password debated making Watchtower the primary display screen you see after opening 1Password 8 however finally determined that was “too big of a jump for one release.” However, he famous the up to date Watchtower represents a brand new path for 1Password, one the place the corporate has the capabilities to permit its designers to tweak issues extra freely.

In a method, that’s the unifying theme of 1Password 8. It’s a major milestone for 1Password not due to the brand new options concerned however because of the work the corporate did behind the scenes to place methods in place for future releases. “With 1Password 8, we really wanted to tie everything together,” Teare mentioned. Previously, the corporate had separate groups engaged on its completely different apps, with little in the best way of shared code and assets between them. To assist them work collectively, 1Password constructed a typical code base utilizing Rust, a programming language Teare mentioned allowed the corporate to create a extra cohesive expertise throughout its apps whereas nonetheless catering to what makes every working system completely different.

The method 1Password 8 works along side Safari is one instance of that. You’ll now see the browser extension open inline with the username and password discipline on a web site. If you could have the app configured to deal with two-factor authentication requests for you, it should additionally routinely fill that discipline when you get to it.

Once it is completed testing the app, 1Password expects to launch 1Password 8 for Mac and Windows later this yr. According to Teare, the corporate additionally plans to deliver the improved expertise to Android, iPhone and iPad customers “in the near future.”