1Password 8 for Mac brings autofilling passwords to native apps

The public release of 1Password 8 for Mac brought with it a number of new features and a redesign of the password manager. There is a new Universal Autofill feature in the app that may be a game-changer for Mac users.

Password managers used to be easy to use in the browser: load the webpage, click the icon, and it fills your password. If you're in a native app, you have to open your password manager, search for the account, and copy and paste your info into the app. With Universal Autofill, you can open a new menu that will fill passwords in apps just like you would a keyboard shortcut. Password 8 has been out for Windows for a long time but doesn't have a feature like Universal Autofill. If you have Touch ID turned on, it works well and is fast.

The new version has been in the works for a long time. The company said 40,000 people have been testing 1Password 8 and that it would fix a Chrome memory bug. I have been a tester for the last few months, and it has been a better experience, with fewer instances of 1Password taking forever to load or not loading at all, fewer memory hog problems, and an interface that belongs in.

Image: 1Password

Universal Autofill is a feature that makes or breaks password managers. Most people don't use a password manager because they don't think it's a good idea. Password managers are hard to use. Password managers are an easy win on both OSes, and both have done a good job of turning them into a two-tap process. It's more difficult to type on a desktop than it is on a phone. 1Password is trying to solve that and give you more reasons not to use it.

One of the features that 1Password could use is universal autofill. The service has branched out frompassword manager to important info-of-all-kinds manager, that hides your email, and more. A feature like Universal Autofill could help train users to use 1Password more.