If there’s one thing that every parent is short on, it’s time. Saving time on any aspect of day-to-day life means extra time to spend on the most important thing: your family. In this article, we’re going to explore the ways in which a family password manager can make life easier for parents.
What is a family password manager?
We’ve written extensively about how password managers benefit individuals. A password manager is like a bank vault for your passwords, storing and protecting your private information. It also helps you navigate your online life easily, autofilling passwords and helping you create digital identities so you don’t have to waste time re-entering the same information multiple times a day.
Password managers are an essential tool for navigating the internet today, which is increasingly plagued with phishing and infostealers. Young children and older adults may not be fully aware of the risks associated with creating accounts online or even just browsing the internet. As a parent, it can be difficult providing digital support and education when you don’t know how to empower your family members to protect themselves.
Last year we launched Pass Family to help parents take control of their family passwords and their family’s online safety. With a single app, you can safely store and share passwords among family members and households. Passwords can be organized into custom vaults for different family members, with access and permissions managed by the plan’s admin. It’s the perfect way to help your children and your parents protect their digital identities.
How to save time with your family password manager
When you find the right tool that’s available on all platforms and cross-device, it’s the perfect way to help your family no matter where they are. Here are some of the helpful features you can use as a parent to save time on forgotten passwords and build your family’s confidence.
Create and store new passwords
It’s likely that your family members are using different methods to store their passwords. Some might write them down and keep them in a safe place, while others rely on creating multiple variations of the same passwords. Some might store them in their notes app or a document on their computer. All of these methods lead to the same outcome: forgotten passwords.
A password manager can help anyone keep track of their passwords by simply saving them in one place. Once you’ve logged in to an account online, Proton Pass will prompt you to save your password. If you create a new account, you’ll be able to generate a secure password and store it in Proton Pass in just a few clicks. You can also import any existing saved passwords you might have across different devices to consolidate all of your data in one safe place. By instantly creating varied passwords and storing them for future use, your password manager will act as your family’s online safe for sensitive information. It’ll also save you time resetting passwords.
Autofill passwords
In terms of saving time, autofill is a very useful tool. Anyone in your family trying to log in to a streaming service, an online banking portal, or an online retailer will appreciate the ability to enter their password in a couple of clicks. Proton Pass will only autofill passwords on domains you’ve visited before and trust. We also enable manual autofill by default, allowing you to prompt your password to be filled for improved security.
All you need to do is visit a website you’ve saved your login details for, and Proton Pass will prompt you that you can autofill your saved password. The next time you change your password, you’ll be prompted to update the login details saved in Proton Pass so you won’t forget your new password. Letting your password manager store and autofill passwords removes the stress associated with creating strong, varied passwords and remembering them all yourself. It’s the perfect way for anyone to improve their cybersecurity without taking on any additional work.
Create shared vaults
In Proton Pass, a vault works like a folder: You can create vaults specifically for streaming, gaming, online shopping, accessing government or school portals, or any other organizational purpose of your choosing. You can also create vaults for personal use and vaults to share with family members and friends. It’s not just passwords that you can store, you can also save your credit cards, notes, and Identities for shared use.
Sharing accounts with a loved one can sometimes be frustrating. It’s likely that you’ve received a text message or a call asking you for the password multiple times, causing frustration for everyone involved. Instead of needing to share the same passwords again and again, a vault can help you create a shared space for all the accounts you need to manage together. It’s easy to access accounts across different operating systems and devices, so once you’ve created your vault you’ve always got access to the tools you both need.
Helping children manage their online accounts can also be tricky. Educating them about how to stay safe online while you empower them to use the internet confidently is a difficult line to walk. With a vault that keeps their passwords safe for them, they’re able to access their passwords without needing your oversight. From their phone, their tablet, or their laptop, they’ve got a safe way to create and manage new accounts. You can manage as much as you need from your own devices, adding or removing items from the vault as needed. Vaults update simultaneously across all devices so any changes are made automatically.
Share passwords safely
In situations where you need to share a password on a one-off basis, you can create a secure link in Proton Pass. This allows you to share temporarily a password, credit card, or note immediately. (It’s often an urgent request such as sharing a WiFi password that leads parents to turn to sharing via text or email.) Creating a secure link only takes a few clicks and doesn’t compromise the security of any of your data. You can also opt for a secure link to expire after up to 30 days and restrict the number of times it can be viewed.
If a family member asks to use one of your online shopping accounts for a one-off purchase, you can share the details with them via secure link. They can then log in to your account, make their purchase, and the link will expire. Secure link expiration dates help limit the places that your data is stored, which in turn keeps it more secure.
Save time on password admin with Pass Family
A Pass Family subscription allows up to six family members (including one or more admins) to use Proton Pass with a single payment. If you’re looking to secure your family’s passwords and data, choose the best family password manager. Pass Family offers:
- Available on browser, web app, iOS, and Android
- Easy to use
- Unlimited logins
- Unlimited credit cards
- 50 vaults per account
- 10 shared vaults per account
- Fast and friendly customer support
- Password health alerts
