LastPass will paywall cross-platform support from March 16
Popular password manager service LastPass will discontinue cross-platform support for free users of the service from March 16. This means, when free users sign in, they will be prompted to choose their active device type on which they will have unlimited access. In a detailed blog post, LastPass said free users will have their passwords available either across all their computers or mobile devices.
LastPass clarified what it means by "active device type." Say a person primarily uses computers of different kinds for work. Such a person's "active device type" will be computers. They can access their passwords saved to LastPass on an unlimited number of computers. Then, the user will have to upgrade to the premium service if they want their passwords synchronized across mobile devices and vice-versa.
Alternatively, users could create another free LastPass account for use on their mobile devices. However, the passwords won't be synced between the account for computers and the account for mobile devices. LastPass says after users make their initial selection for active device type when they sign in, free account users will be allowed to change their preference up to three times, without losing data.
In another development, LastPass will limit email support to Premium and Families customers only. This change will come into effect from May 17. Free users will be limited to LastPass Support Center (which has self-help resources) and the LastPass Community for support. However, free users will continue to receive tech support via email until May 16.
Since its acquisition by LogMeIn, LastPass subscription prices have tripled in the last three years. Many users switched to using competing services such as BitWarden and Zoho Vault. While the change to LastPass is significant, one could maintain two free LastPass accounts, one for each kind of device. The added hassle would be to periodically sync both accounts manually to reflect the same data.
