Password and phones.

[WellyShark]

Here we go, I've been lurking for a while reading threads.

It seems that lots of couple share passwords for accounts, have access to mobile bills and their partners mobile.

This is not the case in my relationship. DP always has his phone on him, always takes his calls in another room and has his own passwords. He may just like privacy. Is this normal within a relationship? He has the password to my pc as he has shared files with me, but not vice versa.

[CogitoErgoSometimes]

I don't think it's abnormal to keep things private. I will take a phone-call from my mum and disappear into another room because a) what we're talking about will bore the arse off everyone else and b) I don't like others wigging into a private conversation. Then again, I'll probably return to the room and pass on any relevant points. My boyfriend doesn't have the password to my mobile and I'd be very if I found him trying to check out my call history. I often delete my message threads on my mobile as well. Not because I'm hiding anything but because I don't like the thing getting cluttered up with old texts. He sometimes uses my lap-top which means he could get into my e-mail if he wanted to. But he never would.... at least I hope he wouldn't. I'd be furious.

If your DP's behaviour is making you suspicious there has to be another reason. Ask a straight question, therefore.

[WellyShark]

Maybe reading the infidelity threads has made me suspicious. I'd never thought about sharing accounts and passwords before, and I thought this was the norm. It's about trust and respecting their privacy, I have never tried to look at DP's phone or email. If someone wants to cheat they'll do it regardless.

Thanks for answering my question.

[Malificence]

In this day and age of everything being online, I think it's not only advisable but essential to have access to each other's passwords etc.
Imagine if something happened to one of you and the other needed access to their emails or phone/ipad?

Someone with nothing to hide, hides nothing.

[CogitoErgoSometimes]

"Someone with nothing to hide, hides nothing. "

That's far too simplistic. People who trust each other don't necessarily feel they have to tell each other every single thing. A desire for some privacy, even within a relationship, should not be an automatic reason for suspicion.

[larrygrylls]

Malificence,

"Someone with nothing to hide, hides nothing."

The motto of every police state from time immemorial. You would have adored East Germany and the Stasi.

People need privacy. Just because you are married does not mean you are joined at the hip. Even the ability to plan a surprise for your partner disappears if everything is shared. In addition, some jobs require discretion and privacy, even from one's partner. And does everyone feel the need to share every personal health detail with their partner? Personally, I prefer to be two people who choose to be together than some kind of amorphous siamese blob.

[WhoNickedMyName]

My DH and I don't share phone codes or passwords for anything. Neither do most of my friends with their DP's.

If my DH wanted to use my phone or use my e-mail address for any good reason then I'd give him the passwords without batting an eyelid... but I'd change them again when he'd finished.

If DH wanted all of my passwords for no apparent reason, or demanded to 'check' my e-mails/Facebook/messages or I caught him trying to access any of my personal accounts it would be game over. I'm not hiding anything, but if he doesn't trust me and can't do as Cogito says and ask a straight question, then our relationship isn't what I thought it was.

Anyway... You can have all of the passwords and access to whatever you like belonging to your DP, if they're going to get up to something they'll find a way... that secret phone or that e-mail account that you won't know about.

[CogitoErgoSometimes]

I'm glad some people agree with me. In the olden days, pre passwords, e-mail and text, when the principle means of communication were letters and a phone, that was usually anchored firmly to a wall in the hallway, it would have been considered very strange to stand over someone while they were making a phone-call or demand to know the contents of their post. My own DM is a dab hand at steaming open and resealing envelopes as I found to my cost many years ago when she intercepted a letter between me and a boyfriend she didn't like much. If e-mails and so on had been around at the time she'd have demanded my passwords because she's fundamentally the suspicious type and can't be trusted. I would assess a partner demanding the same thing of me today as similar.

[Bluefrogs]

Sorry but I think it is very normal.I dont share my passwords etc with my dp,and unless its an emergency I won't be.
I like my privacy thanks,and I don't see any need to share access to my personal emails or text messages,if that makes me odd I don't care!
I have nothing to hide but I also don't want my dp reading my personal messages-even though most of them are only about work anyway!
I don't go on Facebook as I don't feel comfortable with sharing my life like that either.
Dp on the other hand appears to be surgically grafted to his bleedin iPhone and iPad and it pisses me off no end.

[Bluefrogs]

Posted too soon-just wanted to add that I have no interest in who is texting or emailing my dp,if the phone goes when we are together I dont expect any explanation as to who it is texting and I would be mightily annoyed if I had to keep informing dp who I was talking to.
If I wanted to check I could,but I don't need to and tbh if he 'checked'
my phone I would have to really assess our relationship if he thought that was acceptable

[JennyPiccolo]

My DP and I know each other's passwords. I always have things coded and password protected in case of theft, not to hide stuff from my partner. In any case, he's never felt the need to read my emails/messages/whatever (that I know of) and vice versa, but we both could if we wanted to.

[WellyShark]

I was beginning to wonder if my relationship was normal! I like my privacy and I'm definitely not having an emotional or physical affair. People seem to think that partners having their own passwords and never letting their phone out of their site could be a sign of an affair.

If I didn't have a bit of privacy I think I would feel very smothered and claustrophobic. DP would probably feel the same way too.

[QuietTiger]

I think that you have to differentiate between secrecy and privacy.

DH & have privacy from each other, in that we don't look at each others phones, texts, etc, and we keep mail etc, private. But we are not secretive about it. If he asks me about something or looks at my email account for what ever reason (usually to check details for something or other) or likewise, me checking his accounts, etc, we ask first, because we respect each others privacy, but it's not a drama, because it's not "secret", IYSWIM?

When it becomes "secret" then it's a problem. Privacy is normal.

[independentfriend]

For me (and I am not other people), interfering with my correspondence (post/phones/email/browsing history) would be a dealbreaker. End of story.

[BurlingtonBertieFromBow]

I always have completely separate email accounts and private passwords for email and phone. If someone made it a condition of the relationship that I share them then they could jog on. Being in a relationship doesn't mean you must give up all your basic social rights.

If he said 'can I use your phone/laptop quickly?' then of course that would be fine.

[OneMoreChap]

CogitoErgoSometimes
I'd be very if I found him trying to check out my call history. I often delete my message threads on my mobile as well. Not because I'm hiding anything but because I don't like the thing getting cluttered up with old texts


Obviously suspicious, and if you were a bloke, you'd obviously be at it.

[CogitoErgoSometimes]

Obviously...

[Mum2Fergus]

DP and I know each others passwords, email, phone, banking, etc...no issues with that, but I often read on here about folk being suspicious re browsing, call history etc...if lack of them is proof of unfaithfulness then Im in trouble lol emails get deleted when Ive dealt with them, as do call histories and texts, if Ive no need to keep it, I dont.

[bubalou]

I can only chip in with my personal situation.

Me & DH both actually have the same password on our 2 iPhones. His mobile is a work one so I don't see paper bills but I wouldn't want to. Mine come to the house so he can look if he really wanted to but doesn't.

He uses his phone ALOT but I use mine a lot too & we both have quite high pressure jobs that cause us to occasionally run out of dinner to take a call.

However - my husband is free to use my phone any time he wants - and vice versa, I can say 'let's play angry birds' and he will always happily hand me his phone.

I honestly think that if a man is ever odd about something as simple as this - he is hiding something.

This is exactly how I knew my ex was cheating. Phone on silent alot, never leaving it even to go to the shower or toilet etc (unless its a poo in which case most men like to have their phone)

[Opentooffers]

I view my phone like I would if it was my diary, so no I would not give my password to anyone, but would be ok with sharing stuff that I wanted to. I have had it snooped on twice by ex-p and an exBF, it achieved nothing except they could not resist asking me about innocent details, so had to own up about looking and strangely thought that this was ok. To my mind, unless there is other evidence and need, there is no justification for random snooping and one should be ready to eat major humble pie if wrong -it's private, though I don't hide it and let my DS play games on it as I have nothing to hide anyway.

[OhEmGee24]

No passwords on phones here, we both always leave our phones around, nothing to hide even though we never look at each others phones. Generic password for the computer, don't know each others email password but I've never even contemplated asking! . Same pincode on joint bank account, but don't know each others separate account.

[Malificence]

Me and DH do have privacy ( if we want it) , just not as much as many of you obviously
We have each others passwords etc. but we don't sit going through each others phones/emails every night, ( for one thing DH never deletes anything and has thousands of bloody emails whereas I delete everything non-essential ) my laptop is always logged into my emails and facebook, the ipad is logged into his emails and facebook.

I don't have the password for his work mobile , I have no need for it and no reason to look at it.

I don't get this possessive attitude over things like post or phones, I open all DH's post, always have, always will.

I find not sharing everything weird to be honest, I know pretty much every detail of his working day, right down to how many cups of tea he's had and how many times he's been to the loo, pretty normal for us.
And LarryG - the Stasi has nothing on me, I'm able to stalk DH with the "find my friends" app ( and he me of course) .

[Bluefrogs]

Malificence-if that works for you by sharing all that info and opening post that's great,but some people aren't comfortable with that.
For me my privacy absolutely includes the knowledge that my phone,post or email are private,not accessible to anyone at anytime including my dp.obviously if he needed to check an email etc he could if he wanted to.
I don't know his passwords because I have never asked,I don't need to!
There is nothing weird about that,neither myself or my dp are hiding anything,it just isn't an issue,tbh it's only reading things on mn that make me think that maybe we are in the minority!
As for knowing how many cups of bleedin coffee he's drunk at work and the number of dumps hes done,sorry I have far more important/interesting things to talk about with my dp!

[Bluefrogs]

And can you imagine the uproar on here should a man say he opens his wifes post-always has and always will!
'

[Malificence]

Actually, I do let him open his Top Gear magazine subscription ( if he's been good) so he's really quite spoilt. It's like Christmas for him once a month.

[BurlingtonBertieFromBow]

If Mal's husband doesn't mind then it's not a problem. I would hate it if my partner was like that. Malificence - we can never be together. I hope you aren't too devastated.