QR Code to Import Settings Will Not Scan

[crdennett]

Checklist

• I have used the search function to see if someone else has already submitted the same bug report.
• I will describe the problem with as much detail as possible.

App

Thunderbird for Android

App version

8.0

Where did you get the app from?

Google Play

Android version

15

Device model

Pixel 8 Pro

Steps to reproduce

1. On desktop, export to mobile to get QR code screen
2. Open app on phone
3. Click on import settings on splash screen
4. Camera turns on
5. Aim camera at Q code on desktop screen
6. Nothing happens.

Expected behavior

At step 6 I would expect the camera to lock onto the QR code and either automatically import the settings or give me a button to do that.

Actual behavior

Nothing happens when the phone camera is aimed at the QR code. I tried the built in QR code scanner in the phone and it locks in right away. It gives me the option to copy the test embedded in the QR code but I can't use that in the app.

Logs

No response

[mnassAN]

Same behaviour on Andoid 14 - Galaxy A53 - OneUI 6.1 - App version 8 - Thunderbird-Desktop: 128.4.0esr (64-bit) manjaro-stable - With same behavior I mean when trying to scan the code with the Thunderbird-Android app as the original poster did ...

[kewisch]

The QR code embeds text only, so a third party app won't do anything special with it. You need to use Thunderbird for Android's account setup camera instead. Was there something about the explanation we could make more clear to users they can't use the a normal QR code scanner app?

Based on the devices you mention it doesn't sound like the camera is lacking, so I'm surprised there is no function. Are you using dark mode or a special color scheme?

[crdennett]

I didn't use the QR scanner app at first. As I noted I clicked the Import Settings button and it immediately turned on the camera. I pointed the camera at the QR code but it did not lock on nor was there any button to read the code. I just tried a QR scanner app to see if the QR code could be read by it. It was. I am not using dark mode. I did see some other bug report about that. I also tried varying the brightness of my monitor and also switched to a different monitor. Nothing worked, So, I simply configured it manually. Since I also have the K9 Mail app installed, it was easy to go through the process and get it working. I figure it's probably something with the phone itself.

[crdennett]

Well, I don't think it's the camera. Just went to a website where I generated a QR code for my website. Turned on the camera and pointed it at the code and it locked on and read the code,

[curzon01]

I can confirm the issue also using TB for Android 8.0 on a Motorola g84 (Android 14):

• Thunderbird for Android has permission to access the camera, can display the TB Desktop QR Code picture but cannot scan the TB (also any) QR code
  It doesn't matter on which of 3 different monitors I display the TB Desktop QR code, even using different monitor presets or desktop dark/light mode doesn't matter.
• The mobile camera app, on the other hand, does not have any problem with any of the QR Codes displayed on the same different monitors with same different settings (monitor presets, desktop dark or light), scans in and shows me the configuration text correctly.

Extracting the configuration text with the mobile camera app and re-encoding the QR codes (with my desktop app QtQR) with different settings including shortening the content (less complex QR code) does not lead to a different result: TB does not scan any of the codes while the mobile camera app has no problems scanning them.

I suspect the cause is somehow the Android api call to the camera, because

• another Android app (Authenticator) has the same behaviour like TB for Android (displays the QR Code but does not scan any QR code)
• while my bank app does not have the issue.

Edit: Add infos...

[Nionor]

Same problem here with Pixel 7 on Android 15

[nchevsky]

On a Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra on OneUI 6.1 (Android 14), scanning only works if I export exactly one account without a password—the moment I add either (b) a password for that one account or (b) additional accounts (with or without passwords), scanning does nothing.

In other words, scanning succeeds with "small"/low-res QR codes and fails with "large"/high-res QR codes that contain more data.

[leubeem]

On a Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra on OneUI 6.1 (Android 14), scanning only works if I export exactly one account without a password—the moment I add either (b) a password for that one account or (b) additional accounts (with or without passwords), scanning does nothing.

In other words, scanning succeeds with "small"/low-res QR codes and fails with "large"/high-res QR codes that contain more data.

Same here with Galaxy S23, OneUI 6.1 (Android 14) and 1.) Thunderbird Mobile Beta v8.0b5 and also 2.) Thunderbird Mobile v8.0

[jnzd]

I've had the same issue with Android 15 on a Google Pixel 8 and Thunderbird Desktop set to the default dark theme. I was able to scan all QR codes by changing the theme to light. This seems to be an issue with the QR scanner not working properly with different colors and/or contrast ratios (not that with the light theme it is black on white, but with the dark theme it is white on dark blue or grey).

[nchevsky]

(…) and Thunderbird Desktop set to the default dark theme. I was able to scan all QR codes by changing the theme to light.

Success at last! 🎉 Switching to the light theme alone wasn't enough for me, though; I had to also move my phone considerably farther away from the screen, so that more of the surroundings were in view. This is counterintuitive at best, as the scanner instructions say to "align the QR code"—implying one should get just the code, and nothing else, within the frame.

As an experiment, I then tried again from the same longer distance with the dark theme, and it still wouldn't work—so dark theme scanning is definitely broken (with large/high-res QR codes).