Too many passwords and logins

[tl01]

Rant up ahead!! I am a parent of two children. The number of ridiculous passwords that one needs to remember for them is just insanity. Every single device and game has a different one. Why can’t any games be simple anymore? Why can’t they just turn on the Nintendo, stick super MARIO bros in the box and push it down and have the game start. Instead there are passwords and codes for the x box so we can use a controller, and them another down download a game, and another to 30 minute process to redo the payment info with Microsoft so I can pay to sign up for gold live. And then I finish and my other kid brings me his Nintendo ds and now he needs his Nintendo network Id. I haven’t a clue what it is. Then later he will want to log into the computer and will want his pokemon tcg login and password. Yes this is a rant but seriously! The user interfaces for these programs is so bad. Apple would not have anything this counter intuitive. Everything takes forever to input. I am so over it all!

Oh! After I redo all the payment info on the Xbox I go to buy gold live on the Microsoft website ...and it says I don’t have the right to do it. The instructions it gives me to recify that don’t match the necessary steps. It lets me go through the entire payment process to buy it but at the end it says this. Really? How about a heads up a bit earlier...so I don’t waste all that time putting my info in!

 

[Apple fanboy]

Rant up ahead!! I am a parent of two children. The number of ridiculous passwords that one needs to remember for them is just insanity. Every single device and game has a different one. Why can’t any games be simple anymore? Why can’t they just turn on the Nintendo, stick super MARIO bros in the box and push it down and have the game start. Instead there are passwords and codes for the x box so we can use a controller, and them another down download a game, and another to 30 minute process to redo the payment info with Microsoft so I can pay to sign up for gold live. And then I finish and my other kid brings me his Nintendo ds and now he needs his Nintendo network Id. I haven’t a clue what it is. Then later he will want to log into the computer and will want his pokemon tcg login and password. Yes this is a rant but seriously! The user interfaces for these programs is so bad. Apple would not have anything this counter intuitive. Everything takes forever to input. I am so over it all!

Oh! After I redo all the payment info on the Xbox I go to buy gold live on the Microsoft website ...and it says I don’t have the right to do it. The instructions it gives me to recify that don’t match the necessary steps. It lets me go through the entire payment process to buy it but at the end it says this. Really? How about a heads up a bit earlier...so I don’t waste all that time putting my info in!

I hear what you are saying. I've bought the game from a shop now I just want to play. But no I have to create a user profile etc.

I use an app to store them all on one password.
But yes it is a pain.

 

[Scepticalscribe]

I hear what you are saying. I've bought the game from a shop now I just want to play. But no I have to create a user profile etc.

I use an app to store them all on one password.
But yes it is a pain.

Agreed.

It is a pain. A complete pain.

I find that I have to write them (passwords, and changed passwords) down in my diary, otherwise, I run the risk of forgetting them.

I took out a subscription to the Financial Times a few weeks ago, and must say that dealing with them - I have had to change my password, and cannot now access my account - is a right pain. Actually, I was only ever able to access it for a day or two. Irked, I fired off an irate email last night to them.

The Economist is a dream to deal with - helpful and straightforward and fair-minded - in comparison.

 

[T'hain Esh Kelch]

I can only say the same as the above user; Write them down.

 

[Analog Kid]

But no I have to create a user profile etc.

This galls me more than all of the passwords. I hate the fact that every transaction now has to be a freaking relationship. I bought your thing. That's the end of it. You don't need my name, address, email and age, and you sure as heck don't need to know the name of my favorite teacher in high school and which sock I put on first.

Secure notes in Keychain Access is your friend. Reasonably secure, and gives a place to keep all the information you've given-- particularly useful when all that information is fictional.

 

[Apple fanboy]

This galls me more than all of the passwords. I hate the fact that every transaction now has to be a freaking relationship. I bought your thing. That's the end of it. You don't need my name, address, email and age, and you sure as heck don't need to know the name of my favorite teacher in high school and which sock I put on first.

Secure notes in Keychain Access is your friend. Reasonably secure, and gives a place to keep all the information you've given-- particularly useful when all that information is fictional.

And fictional it should be! Especially for game logins.

 

[Apple_Robert]

I suggest you get a password management app like 1Password. It would make your family life a lot easier.

 

[Apple Fritter]

While I don't use proprietary devices like Nintendo or Xbox for gaming, I imagine password management is a mess there.

That said, a password should never be used in more than one context and all open platforms offer various apps for easy password management. I personally would recommend 1Password as well. It's been keeping me sane for many years.

 

[MacDawg]

Security is something that unfortunately is necessary, but poorly implemented
In the beginning, passwords seemed to perhaps be a reasonable solution, but the proliferation of accounts for everything rendered it a nightmare

• Use ultra strong passwords that are randomly generated
• Don't reuse passwords on any account
• Change passwords every 3 months and don't reuse any of the past 10 you have used

The real world results are LESS security, not more

• Passwords for login are written on sticky notes and placed on the desk or monitor
• Passwords ARE reused for other accounts
• Lists of current and past passwords are kept in a drawer by the computer

I once used an Excel spreadsheet of all my accounts and passwords, but it became too difficult to manage and update
And it had to be password protected as well

I started using 1Password long ago, and I can't imagine being without it now
Others have their fans... Dashlane, LastPass, etc. but all do a fairly good job of managing things

It still doesn't relieve the burden entirely of knowing some passwords, but it helps
You still get caught in situations where it is impossible or inconvenient to try to find a password

Biometrics are helping, but are still a few years away from becoming truly widespread and standard

I don't have a real solution, but I do believe security is often its own worst enemy
At work, we often have things so locked down it makes it extremely difficult to do the most basic tasks

 

[bopajuice]

Same with stores.

What is your phone number? I'd rather not give it out.... Are you a rewards user? No.... Would you like to sign up? No..... It will only take a minute? No.... Would you like your receipt emailed to you or printed? Printed..... It's ridiculous.

Same with monthly bills.

I pay all my bills online. Unser name and password for everything.

Work...

I access database services as part of my research work, and need an account, user name, and password for everything. Since many of these services I use provide sensitive information, I need to update my password or at least log into my accounts every 30 days.

Between rental car companies, healthcare, social media, subscription services, bills, banking, and services, I have dozens of passwords.

Has to be a better way.

 

[MacDawg]

Whilst the OP lays out the case for keeping track of kids and their logins and accounts, there is another chapter to this nightmare as well
Our older, less tech minded generation is also facing the abundance of password management
Online banking, paying bills, accessing utilities, etc.
While the youth has grown up with passwords, etc. they have not and remembering any passwords beyond "password123" is challenging when accounts are only used once a month or so
And they are far more susceptible for phishing scams for passwords

This results in calls from parents

• What's my password for XYZ again?
• Which password do they want... "password123" or "123password" I use them both
• I'm locked out now and have to call... I have the number but they want to know my first pet's name and I don't remember what I answered the first time
• I think your mother changed the password to ABC before she passed last month, help...
• You will be so proud of me, the bank sent me an email asking me for my password and this time remembered, but now my account looks strange

 

[Apple_Robert]

Whilst the OP lays out the case for keeping track of kids and their logins and accounts, there is another chapter to this nightmare as well
Our older, less tech minded generation is also facing the abundance of password management
Online banking, paying bills, accessing utilities, etc.
While the youth has grown up with passwords, etc. they have not and remembering any passwords beyond "password123" is challenging when accounts are only used once a month or so
And they are far more susceptible for phishing scams for passwords

This results in calls from parents

• What's my password for XYZ again?
• Which password do they want... "password123" or "123password" I use them both
• I'm locked out now and have to call... I have the number but they want to know my first pet's name and I don't remember what I answered the first time
• I think your mother changed the password to ABC before she passed last month, help...
• You will be so proud of me, the bank sent me an email asking me for my password and this time remembered, but now my account looks strange

I have to deal with those same scenarios with my parents. Funny you mentioned previously using an Excel spreadsheet for management. My dad did as well and it was hard to pry his fingers away from it, even though he constantly complained about keeping up etc. Dad is more tech savy than mom. Mom is scared of technology. And when she ask for help and ask questions, she doesn't listen and if you don't fix it in one step, she gets mad and says forget it she will figure it out. And if you do fix it in one step, she ask what you did, even though you explain the steps as you go.

Finally got dad on 1Password (He is a die hard Windoze user) and he has been happy (for the most part) with the program. I also bought them both lifetime licenses (AdGuard) for their Galaxy S7 phones.

I really wish they would use Apple products. It would make my tech help life a lot easier, than having to figure out their Android app function and menu mess.

I tried to get my brother and his family on a password management program. No go. Sis in law uses the same password for Amazon, Hulu, Netflix and God know what other websites.

Being single I can still feel the OP's frustration. Bring back the 70s Life was more simple and fun.

 

[bopajuice]

Had a situation with my 80 year old dad recently where he needed to unplug his Directv and Cable boxes to move the cabinet for carpet cleaning. When he plugged everything back in he calls me to tell me he plugged everything back in and had no picture or internet. I told him it sounded like he crossed the cables. He assured me he did not "cross the cables". He was sure everything was plugged in correctly. Called Directv and Cox to come fix the problem. It was their fault....

Cox guy got there and was scratching his head. My dad insisted he had the cables plugged in correctly. Directv guy arrives and says they use gray cables and the gray cable was plugged into the Cox modem.....

Cables were switched. My dad hasn't mentioned it since.

Now if I could just get him to stop reformatting his hard drive and reinstalling MacOS every time he has a problem... Another story.

 

[eyoungren]

Maybe it's just me, but accounts have always been a thing for me since I was 14 in 1985. You needed an account to access a BBS (Bulletin Board System). Later, in the late 90s and early 00s you needed an account to access forums - a platform I have long been involved with.

I got my first email account in 1999. I have more of them than I can shake my fists at. Microsoft is the only account I've ever ditched. Their security is over sensitive.

I have three or four password variations on a theme that revolve in my head. Poor security maybe, but you'd have to know me to guess that the passwords mean. PIN codes are based on numbers that are important to me but not even my wife understands why.

Lately I've been adding stronger passwords to more sensitive accounts. I keep them in text files inside an encrypted DMG I can access.

My son didn't get an email address until sixth grade when his school required it for schoolwork assignments (Google docs). I control that email address. He's since added a few more, (Apple ID, Dropbox) but these are school and phone related. My daughter has an Apple ID so I can download apps on her phone. She uses a passphrase on her phone because I know that's easier for her to remember than a password.

Maybe it's also the stuff we buy. My son does have a DS which meant creating a Nintendo account, but our Wii never forced us to create anything. Both my children know they have to ask before they can just create an account and they need a justification for it. I leave remembering the passwords up to them since I do not provide credit cards.

If a CC is needed for what they want, I create a new account for MYSELF and they have to deal with using my account name and password - which means they have to come to me.

There are some irritants to be sure, but like I said, I've been dealing with accounts in some form or another since I was 14. Maybe as someone above indicated, that's the difference.

 

[tl01]

In general. I do write down the logins and passwords. I forgot to note this Nintendo iD down. But then to get it back I need to know which email I used. I have no clue about that. And my email address I used for Microsoft had to be an outlook or other Microsoft account...well we don’t use that for anything. So to get anything that is sent to it I have to set it up on a device temporarily. I guess I need a password program...but it always feels dangerous to put them all in one place.

But even more annoying to me is just how poorly all these programs are with regard to user interface. Why when I delete a payment method does Microsoft keep the old addresss as make me delete it all first via the Xbox one controller before I can enter the new address in.

Glad to see I’m not the only one with issues with logins and password etc. There must be a better solution!

 

[joec1101]

I suggest you get a password management app like 1Password. It would make your family life a lot easier.

I second this...iOS version is free (there is an upgraded paid mode as well, but not necessary) and makes life much easier. You can keep it sync'd with your iPad version and MacOS version. The MacOS version can be used in free mode, but only in read only, but if you manage all the passwords on the iOS version, you'll find this works out just fine...

 

[StarShot]

I can only say the same as the above user; Write them down.

Get a password program. There are a few free ones out there. I'm using 1Password which is a subscription program, but it does sync the passwords with all my devices. Right now I'm using a iPhone, a ipad, a MBA on the Apple side and a Windows 10 computer. Change one password and almost instantly it syncs with the other devices.

If you don't want to use a password program, at least write down ANY passwords immediately as it's almost guaranteed that you will forget them almost immediately.

 

[bnx]

I recommend 1Password as well. Works great in storing/creating passwords.

 

[maflynn]

Rant up ahead!! I am a parent of two children. The number of ridiculous passwords that one needs to remember for them is just insanity. Every single device and game has a different one. Why can’t any games be simple anymore? Why can’t they just turn on the Nintendo, stick super MARIO bros in the box and push it down and have the game start. Instead there are passwords and codes for the x box so we can use a controller, and them another down download a game, and another to 30 minute process to redo the payment info with Microsoft so I can pay to sign up for gold live. And then I finish and my other kid brings me his Nintendo ds and now he needs his Nintendo network Id. I haven’t a clue what it is. Then later he will want to log into the computer and will want his pokemon tcg login and password. Yes this is a rant but seriously! The user interfaces for these programs is so bad. Apple would not have anything this counter intuitive. Everything takes forever to input. I am so over it all!

Maybe I'm misunderstanding the post, or maybe I'm not playing the same games, but I have my profile userid/password on the PS4 and that's it. I don't have anything near the level of passwords that your're describing. Of course, if there's a game that requires a profile or play cooperatively, I'll not buy it

I beleive what you're describing is a means for companies to extract information and/or supply you with promotional material and as such I avoid that like the plague.

 

[Scepticalscribe]

Some companies allow you to log in as a 'guest' when making a purchase, and yes, this sort of go in dos mean that you will have to enter every single detail each time you may contemplate making a purchase.

However, many seem to prefer to insist that you create an account, - with, of course, a password, - and then they will use that to send you unwanted emails long after your original transaction was completed.

 

[ericgtr12]

I now use LastPass for everything for reasons most have covered in this thread already. The benefit to a password manager is that you really only have to remember and manage just your master account, additionally I use it’s secure password generator for evertying now because you no longer need to maintain or remember it.

As anyone in IT will tell you, the more complex you make users login process, the more likely they are to post it on a sticky note or in plain text somewhere. It’s a fine balancing act but in the end I think we’ll all be using a manager of some sort.

 

[Apple fanboy]

Some companies allow you to log in as a 'guest' when making a purchase, and yes, this sort of go in dos mean that you will have to enter every single detail each time you may contemplate making a purchase.

However, many seem to prefer to insist that you create an account, - with, of course, a password, - and then they will use that to send you unwanted emails long after your original transaction was completed.

From April in the UK you will have to select subscribing to newsletters etc. They can't just auto enroll you because you created an account.

 

[Huntn]

Rant up ahead!! I am a parent of two children. The number of ridiculous passwords that one needs to remember for them is just insanity. Every single device and game has a different one. Why can’t any games be simple anymore? Why can’t they just turn on the Nintendo, stick super MARIO bros in the box and push it down and have the game start. Instead there are passwords and codes for the x box so we can use a controller, and them another down download a game, and another to 30 minute process to redo the payment info with Microsoft so I can pay to sign up for gold live. And then I finish and my other kid brings me his Nintendo ds and now he needs his Nintendo network Id. I haven’t a clue what it is. Then later he will want to log into the computer and will want his pokemon tcg login and password. Yes this is a rant but seriously! The user interfaces for these programs is so bad. Apple would not have anything this counter intuitive. Everything takes forever to input. I am so over it all!

Oh! After I redo all the payment info on the Xbox I go to buy gold live on the Microsoft website ...and it says I don’t have the right to do it. The instructions it gives me to recify that don’t match the necessary steps. It lets me go through the entire payment process to buy it but at the end it says this. Really? How about a heads up a bit earlier...so I don’t waste all that time putting my info in!

Easy answer : 1Password. It works like a charm and works best for browser logins, but it also works just to store and access your passwords and rereading your post, you may be thinking of the latter.

https://1password.com/

 

[Gutwrench]

I just use the same password for everything: PASSWORD

Alternatively, store them securely by writing them down on the bottom of your keyboard wrist rest.

 

[Mousse]

I just use the same password for everything: PASSWORD

That would not work today. You'll need at least 1 numerical character, 1 special character, 1 uppercase character, 1 lowercase character, no spaces. And when you finally come up with a password that fits the criteria, it's already taken.