In 1Password, you can now add a specific physical location to items, and they will automatically appear in a new section of the app, depending on how close you are to that location.
In 1Password, you can now add a specific physical location to items, and they will automatically appear in a new section of the app, depending on how close you are to that location.
A password manager already allows you to quickly access frequently used or favorite passwords on the main tab of the mobile app. But both of these sections can get cluttered if you have a long list of passwords that you access regularly.
The new location-based feature will help ensure that only the most relevant passwords are displayed when you open the app, minimizing the need to scroll through a long list or remember the name of an item to find it using search, The Verge writes .
Locations can be added to new or existing items saved in 1Password while in a specific location, or by dropping a pin using the new map view, which lets you search for a place while in a different location.
You can also limit the number of items displayed on the app's main tab by range. You can be shown passwords related to only places within 50 feet (15.2 m) or up to 10 miles (16 km) of you—though this can negate the usefulness of the feature if you're presented with a list of items that's too long again.
The new map view in the app also lets you view all the places associated with passwords and other saved items in your account.
AgileBits, the developer of 1Password, says that “your location data is never stored, shared, or tracked,” and the 1Password app performs its nearby location checks locally, so your current location never leaves your device. The company has also added an extra layer of security around map data uploads, giving users the option to turn off the feature entirely at any time.
The ability to specify the location of passwords is a feature that was first introduced in 1Password Labs, a section of the app where the company allows users to try out new and experimental features and provide feedback before they are available to all users. Experimental features are available in the 1Password mobile and desktop apps under the Labs tab in Settings, and users can enable or disable the not-yet-released features at any time.
