1Password has restored the option for customers who originally purchased its iOS app to create a local vault during setup, after users queued up online to voice their frustrations with the fact that the option was silently removed in an update.

The Canadian password management service caused a string of complaints on Reddit and elsewhere earlier this month when a v7.3.3 update to the 1Password iOS app removed the free-to-use local vault option from the app setup process without alerting users to the change.

Withdrawing the option meant that users who reinstalled the iOS app for whatever reason could no longer configure a local vault on their device, even if they'd paid an upfront fee for the app or bought the Pro in-app purchase in the past for exactly this purpose.

The change meant that users looking to maintain local vaults on iPhone or iPad had to either pay for a 1Password membership, or sync their iOS device with a standalone vault created by 1Password for Mac or 1Password Windows – both of which require a subscription.

The good news is that 1Password has listened to user feedback, and the latest update, v7.3.4, restores the ability to create standalone vaults from setup to customers who had previously purchased 1Password 4 for iOS or the Pro Features in-app purchase.

However, for new users at least, there's no longer any way to use the password management service without subscribing to a paid plan.