Fingerprint scanner broken; Alternative forms of unlock?

Hi aelius, thanks for your message.

The mentioned issue has been closed. If 1Password is still locking unexpectedly for you and the app has not been closed directly or by the Auto-Lock on Exit setting, it may be caused by battery or data saving settings.

These settings can be quite aggressive on some devices and changing settings such as Battery Optimization to Unrestricted often does not have an impact. In my experience some of the worst culprits can be OnePlus, Lenovo, Xiaomi, and Samsung but it can affect all devices. An option that can help is setting 1Password to "lock" or "keep open" in Recents if available. For example with a contemporary Samsung device you can follow these steps:
1. Open 1Password.
2. Open Recents (the button with three vertical lines or a swipe up on the home screen).
3. Tap the 1Password icon above the 1Password window.
4. Select "Keep open".

If you'd like to let us know the make and model of you and your parents phones we would be happy to help check for similar options.