The security of your OneDrive is really important to us. We’re continually working to make it easier for you to both keep your OneDrive secure while also making it easier for you to access. And that’s why I’m excited to share our latest update with you: OneDrive on iOS now works with your favorite password managers!
We know that it’s not easy to have good password hygiene. You’ve all heard by now that you should have a unique password per site, and that password should be comprised of meaningless characters, numbers, and casing. There’s no way that your OneDrive password is on this list, right?
Here at OneDrive, we’re storing your most important files and memories and we want to make sure the first line of defense is a strong one. That’s why we recommend strong passwords and two-factor authentication for an added layer of security.
So how does one have a secure password and enter it into all the places one needs to these days?
Well, you can:
1. Memorize all your different passwords
2. Write them all down and store them somewhere
3. Use a password application manager
I hope you know where I’m going with this. I happen to use a great password manager called 1Password. These guys and gals are sweet, but there are other great products out there too like LastPass.
The bottom line is that it doesn’t matter. What does matter is that you can now sign into the OneDrive app on iOS automatically if you are using one of these two password managers.
1. Launch OneDrive and sign in
2. Tap the icon in the upper right corner
3. Select your password manager (or enable them if you have not)
4. Log into the password manager (I have Touch ID set up for mine)
5. Boom! That’s it.
How is this magic even possible?
Well, on iOS 8, Apple provides a way for applications to talk to other applications via extensions. The folks at 1Password built an open source piece of code that allows app developers like us to integrate this code and, with very little effort, we can now have 1Password fill in your OneDrive password. But they took it even further, and made it possible for other password managers to do the same. So the folks at LastPass added support.
The end result? You can sign into OneDrive (and many other apps) if you are a 1Password or LastPass customer. My hope is that other password managers follow suit. After all, the internet is a better and safer place if we all practice good password hygiene.
—
Omar Shahine
Group Program Manager, OneDrive
