LastPass adds a huge limitation to the free version of its password manager. From March 16, free users will only have access to the service on computers or mobile phones, not both.
Once the change occurs, the company will next time sign up as free users for LastPass, verifying that you have access to your account via a ‘computer’ or ‘mobile device’. If it’s a computer, you can access your account only through browsers running on a computer or laptop. If it’s a smartphone, access to iOS or Android devices, including tablets and smartwatches, will be restricted. (Windows tablets are classified as a computer.)
LastPass-free users will have up to three times the time to change their device type preference before being locked out.
The looming change is causing people to look for alternatives to LastPass, which has more than 25 million users. The tool was a handy way to store passwords securely on all platforms, including websites and mobile applications. Unfortunately, the changes to the free version of LastPass could undermine the ease of use of the product.
Credit: LastPass
But LastPass parent company LogMeIn says users can’t close their accounts. Free users still have unlimited access to the password manager – as long as it is available on certain types of devices. For example, if you have access to LastPass via multiple computers, the change will not affect you at all. But if you ever try to view your account via an iPhone, the service will block your access and kindly ask you to log in via a computer.
“Note that all your devices are automatically synced, so you’ll never lose access to anything stored in your vault or be out of your account as a result of these changes, whether you use computers or mobile devices to access LastPass to get, ”the company added in a question about the upcoming restriction.
The change is still about moving free users into LastPass Premium, which costs $ 36 a year and eliminates the limitation of device types.
“This change is part of our increasing focus on delivering future Premium product enhancements as the security landscape continues to evolve in this new era of remote work,” LogMeIn told us in a statement. ‘Over the coming months and years, users will see more and more value and add new features to LastPass Premium.
“This update also aligns our free solution with other leading password managers who have more restrictions on their free offer,” the company added.
In our LastPass review, we considered it to be one of the best password managers on the market. However, LogMeIn was acquired last year by private equity firms that specialize in trying to maximize the value of an asset for later sale. The focus on premium users is therefore hardly a surprise. The company’s blog post about the change also implies that LastPass’s growing free user base has become expensive to maintain. If you are looking for a free password manager, you can visit our recommendations.
In the same announcement, LastPass also said they are ready to remove email support for free users on March 16th. In order not to settle their payments, the non-paying users should find the answers on the official LastPass forums or via the Help Center library.