Keepass problems on iOS

[superFoolish]

I've been using Keepass for a few years, and have found it to be reliable and easy to use - I use it every day.

Since getting a replacement iPhone earlier this year (and thus having to install the latest iOS app, known as miniKeepass), I have been unable to access my Keepass database file (from my phone), which is stored in Google Drive. It seems that it is not currently possible to open a Google Drive file from miniKeepass any more. The Windows version continues to work just fine.

I have done some searching, and it seems to be a common problem. Earlier this year, there were a couple of workarounds available, but these have stopped working again recently because of a recent update to miniKeepass. I've tried the workarounds I know of, which are:

1) Uninstall, reinstall miniKeepass, reboot iPhone
2) Add an additional kdbx extension onto the filename (i.e. myfile.kdbx.kdbx).

Firstly, is anyone here using a recent version of miniKeepass, and able to access their database from Google Drive? If so, I'd be very grateful if you could explain how you are doing it.

Or, failing that, although it's going to be a pain, I'm ready to move onto a different product - I have quite a few passwords that I really need to access when out-and-about. Does anyone have any suggestions? My only requirements are that I can access the password database from both Windows and iOS (A Mac app would be nice, but I can live without it).

Thanks in advance.

[SMarkus]

Hi - you could try using Dropbox instead of Google Drive to host your password database, that's what I used to do and it worked fine.

Alternatively you could, as I have done, move to using LastPass, which I did when I bought a Chromebook, as Keypass didn't work on Chromebook properly. LastPass have just changed their approach to allow use on multiple platforms by the same email address for free - previously this was charged for, and this now makes it a viable alternative. The only drawback I've found is that LastPass doesn't support the selection of specified characters from a password, which is a pity but not insurmountable.

Hope that helps,
Steve.

[superFoolish]

Thanks for the suggestions.

The suggestion to use Dropbox is perfectly reasonable, but I have closed my account with them. The free version has been restricted to syncing two computers, which is not practical for me, as I use several different computers on a regular basis.

The only drawback I've found is that LastPass doesn't support the selection of specified characters from a password, which is a pity but not insurmountable.

I'm not sure that I understand the above point.

One of the things that concerns me about LastPass is that it appears to be cloud-based; i.e. I need to create an account online. With KeePass, everything is on my computers, with my data stored where I want it. I'm not sure why I would need / want to have my password details stored on someone else's server, encrypted or otherwise. It looks like LastPass have been hacked a couple of times, which is even more disconcerting.

[epo1]

Given recent events in the USA one might be wary of storing confidential data on US-based servers like DropBox, I'm rethinking my use of gmail.

I use 1Password on my iPhone and Mac (available for Android/Windows too). If you dig around you will find a purchase option as opposed to monthly license fee. You can sync PC and phone via wifi. Not cheap these days but 'it just works'.

I bought mine a few years ago and don't know what the limitations of the free version are.

[superFoolish]

I use 1Password on my iPhone and Mac (available for Android/Windows too). If you dig around you will find a purchase option as opposed to monthly license fee. You can sync PC and phone via wifi. Not cheap these days but 'it just works'.

I bought mine a few years ago and don't know what the limitations of the free version are.

Thank you for your input; I appreciate it. Unfortunately, a bit too pricey for me!

At first glance, it looks like the free version is limited to one device, but I'll investigate further.

I have done quite a lot of research on this now, and I am surprised at the relatively limited range of available solutions - there are probably around a hundred applications available, but only half a dozen or so that seem 'stable' and trustworthy (forgetting pricing for the moment).

I'm really not happy with the idea of my passwords being in the cloud, regardless of how secure the operator claims that they are; they just seem to be attractive targets for hackers. However, I might be persuaded that it is a safe solution by someone more knowledgeable in these matters (no doubt some fellow Fools have this knowledge). I know that Google Drive, OneDrive, etc, are not infallible, but my personal files would seem to be a less attractive proposition to hackers, than a database full of thousands of users' passwords!

The alternative products that are not in the cloud are too pricey (for me). I'd be happy to pay $30 as a one-off fee, but I won't pay a subscription.

It's somewhat frustrating that mini KeePass isn't working as required with Google Drive (it's open source, so I'm not complaining about support!). From my research, it seems that the developers who work in miniKeePass do have difficulty with allowing the opening of cloud files in iOS, and it seems intermittent depending on the APIs.

I think I may end up persisting with trying to get miniKeePass to work with a 3rd party cloud storage service, or maybe set up OwnCloud on one of my own servers, as that is supported.

Again, thanks to all for your input on this one.

[epo1]

Unfortunately, a bit too pricey for me!

Trouble is the free ones are not very flexible/user friendly. I originally got mine because I mislaid a client password and spent a morning digging through notebooks and post it notes trying to retrieve it. I decided I needed a better way to avoid this happening again, I have never regretted the purchase. You could also look at DataVault which is cheaper and seems to be well reviewed, no idea how secure it is.

[superFoolish]

Trouble is the free ones are not very flexible/user friendly.

I'm not necessarily looking for free products; as I said, I don't mind paying $30 for something that meets all my needs.

As it happens, I have found the free keePass to be very flexible and friendly for a couple of years. It's just unfortunate that the latest version has some kind of bug / incompatibility with Google Drive.

I'll have a look at Datavault, thanks; it appears to be less than US$30 to obtain both Windows and iOS versions.

I have even toyed with the idea of developing my own applications; that would definitely offer security through obscurity!

[superFoolish]

I think I have found a good, reliable solution that will enable me to continue using miniKeePass...

I can access the KeePass database using miniKeePass when it's stored on an ownCloud (open source) server; I've just setup a free ownCloud hosting account to test it, but now I know that it works, I will set ownCloud up on one of my own servers. ownCloud can sync a folder on all my desktop computers (including Mac OS), so it meets all my requirements. If I change anything in the desktop version of KeePass, it syncs back to the ownCloud server, but I would need to open the file again in miniKeePass - there's no change there from the way the miniKeePass works (worked!) with Google Drive, though, and it's trivial to do.

If anyone's interested, I tested ownCloud using one of the free services linked-to from the official ownCloud page (https://owncloud.org/providers/) - just sign up, and login (it took me fewer than 5 minutes). I'm not confident enough in those services to store my real password, because I have never heard of them before - I much prefer to have my password file in my own domain.

I did have to take a bit of a 'gamble' - the iOS app for ownCloud was US$0.99, so I had to buy that - I think it's possibly the third or fourth app I've paid for in as many years! Look at me - big spender! (Although I am soon going to be purchasing the Pythonista app for US$15 - I'm breaking a sweat already).

Thanks for the contributions to this thread; they're much appreciated.

[superFoolish]

I have discovered that it is possible to sync back to the cloud drive from miniKeePass when the password database has changed on the iOS device:

In MiniKeePass,ensure the KeePass database loaded. Touch the share icon at bottom of the screen, and select 'Import with ownCloud' (or 'Open in Dropbox' or 'Copy to Drive', etc, from the menu that is displayed The relevant app will prompt you were to upload the file.

[elkay]

Thanks for the updates SuperFoolish.

I don't have your problem, but your working through to a solution, and the info about OwnCloud was interesting.

regards
Elkay

[superFoolish]

Thanks for the updates SuperFoolish.

You're welcome; I know I'm not on my own with his problem, and I hope that this thread will be useful to others who are having similar issues (not just Fools).

t's frustrating to find forum threads that start with the description of a problem, and then a few weeks later, after no responses, end with the OP posting something along the lines of, 'nvm, I've solved it'!