Updated, 5/17/19, 8:10am PT: Razer told Tom's Hardware that it planned to announce the guest login option for Synapse 3 (and Cortex) when it was finalized. The company said in a media alert that Synapse 3 users "can now choose to log in as a guest for greater privacy control, and still have access to all major app features," while confirming that guest users also won't be required to connect to the internet to use the program. The guest login option was released in a phased rollout; Razer said it could take up to two restarts of Synapse 3 for the option to appear. The company also said that more than 60 million people have created a Razer ID, so the account requirement didn't seem to be too big a deal for Synapse 3's adoption, but it will be interesting to see how many more people will give the program a try now that doing so doesn't require them to offer any personal data.
Original article, 5/15/19, 6:26am PT:
Everyone has their own preferences for their peripherals. Razer Synapse 3 is supposed to make it easier to manage all those settings, from device profiles to macros, but the app's dependence on a Razer account probably limited its ability to reach everyone who could benefit from using it. That shouldn't be a problem anymore, because TechRadar reported today that using Synapse no longer requires an account.
Synapse's previous reliance on an online account made sense--at least for Razer. Part of the program's appeal is the ability to keep settings in sync across multiple systems, and when most people think of cross-device sync, they probably think of cloud-based solutions. Requiring people to create accounts to use Synapse also let Razer collect email addresses and other information that could assist its marketing efforts.
But the latest version of Synapse has always been positioned as somewhat cloud-optional. It can use a given peripheral's onboard storage to offer cross-device sync, and because that's the app's entire purpose, the online component is less "Synapse can only work if it's connected to the internet" and more "Razer only wants Synapse to work if someone creates an online account." That distinction's important.
Now it seems that Razer has changed things up. TechRadar reported that Synapse offers a guest login option that lets people manage their peripherals without creating an account or having an internet connection. This option was also said to be coming to the Razer Cortex game launcher, so the new approach should make it easier for many Razer customers to maintain their privacy, not just those using Synapse.
The guest login option's release was part of a phased rollout, according to TechRadar, so it might not appear for all Synapse users right away. Razer doesn't appear to have mentioned the change on its website or social media accounts. We've reached out to the company for more information about when the guest login option became available, why it was introduced, and where else it might appear in future.
