644898 - Warn users during setup if passwords will be cleared on shutdown

Status: RESOLVED INVALID

(Firefox :: Sync, defect)

Description

[:Atoll]

There are a bunch of SUMO questions from users whose Firefox is apparently configured to delete all saved passwords on shutdown.  It comes as a surprise to these users that their Sync password is being deleted.  Please add a bit to Sync setup that detects when this setting is enabled and warns them that their Sync settings will be deleted on shutdown.

Brought to you by several different SUMO questions from a variety of users.

Comment 1

[Max, @maxart]

Why hasn't it been considered to offer the option for the user to delete all passwords BUT Sync?
I am one of those users, and I would like Sync to be treated differently than other Websites (which I would have hoped it was since the beginning).

I think it's an issue that should be addressed (see Bug 702177), not a trivial information that needs to be given to the users when setting up their Sync accounts.

Comment 2

[Richard Newman [:rnewman]]

(In reply to Max, @maxart from comment #1)
> Why hasn't it been considered to offer the option for the user to delete all
> passwords BUT Sync?

I'm sure it has been considered.

There are technical limitations in the current implementation, and we don't have enough knowledge about user expectations to inform a decision. (Alas, a handful of user reports do not pluralize into "data".)

This is also not an issue that affects more than a handful of users, so it's been relatively low priority.

> I think it's an issue that should be addressed (see Bug 702177), not a
> trivial information that needs to be given to the users when setting up
> their Sync accounts.

I think those are two separate issues, and we might want to address both.

Comment 3

[:Atoll]

Closing this ancient Sync bug that hasn't been triaged in 5-7 years since I filed them - either it's not an issue or it's been silently refused by the teams involved.