Opening Vivaldi apps after macOS Ventura upgrade returns error message: “APP NAME” is damaged"

shapesinaframe

Opening Vivaldi apps after macOS Ventura upgrade returns error message: “APP NAME” is damaged and can’t be opened. You should move it to the Bin.

Creating new apps returns the same error message.

(Vivaldi 5.5.2805.38)

nhave

Same issue here. Highly annoying!

Adding the apps under System Settings > Privacy > Developer Tools does not work.

xyzzy

Hi. Could you please create a formal bug report for this issue? Thanks!

nhave

@xyzzy Done

Odaeus

Just upgraded to Ventura and discovered this issue .

I wanted to check in to see if anyone found a workaround or has more information on the cause? The very vague error message from Apple is unhelpful.

Chas4

@xyzzy I think it is a macOS 13.0.0 issue, seen reports of it on the web, not sure if the updates to macOS 13 fixed it.

piotr22

I'm trying to crate a shortcut to open a website like an application using the tab menu "Create shortcut". The app is being created however attempts to open it results in mac os complaining:

“Name of the shortcut” is damaged and can’t be opened. You should move it to the Trash.

Is this function broken on ventura? I was searching on the web but I wasn't able to find anyone reporting similar problems so I guess It must be an issue with my machine.

How this shortcuts are spouse to work, how to trouble shoot?

xyzzy

@Chas4 I'm looking into this. I have not upgraded to Ventura yet (but probably will soon) so I can't test this myself, or find a work-around, but an internal tester closed the bug pertaining to this issue (VB-92650) as Cannot Reproduce. Will try to find somebody else internally, who definitely is running Ventura, to retest.

Odaeus

@xyzzy thank you! It's such a disappointing part of Vivaldi's process that the issue can just be closed despite multiple reports and we would all be none the wiser if you hadn't noticed and told us.

Happy to provide any more details if requested.

I'm running Vivaldi 5.5.2805.44 (Stable channel) (arm64) on an M1 MacBook Pro with MacOS 13.0.1.

xyzzy

@Odaeus No problem. I think that closing the bug was an honest mistake. It has been reopened.

jenix21

@xyzzy Do you happen to know what is the root cause?

xyzzy

@jenix21 Sorry, I am still running Monterey so I have not yet had the opportunity investigate this issue or look for workarounds.

Odaeus

I found a workaround, I didn't realise it's just a MacOS standard executable security dialog.

Just open the context menu (right click) on the file and choose "Open", you will then be presented with an almost identical error dialog but with the option to continue to "open" the app. This will be remembered and you'll be able to open it as normally in the future.

If you don't get this option, perhaps check under Settings -> Security & Privacy -> Security and under "allowed apps" make sure "App Store and verified developers" is enabled. If you recently tried to open one of these apps you'll also find it listed in the same settings area with an option to open it.

Fosse

I'm encountering the same problem!!

shapesinaframe

@Odaeus said in Opening Vivaldi apps after macOS Ventura upgrade returns error message: “APP NAME” is damaged":

Just open the context menu (right click) on the file and choose "Open", you will then be presented with an almost identical error dialog but with the option to continue to "open" the app. This will be remembered and you'll be able to open it as normally in the future.

This worked for me! Sometimes it didn't present the additional "Open" option on the first attempt, but on the second it did and the PWA opened fine. Thank you!

Odaeus

Just to note that with the latest Vivaldi upgrade, the security problem got "reset" so you need to go through the same process again.

Can confirm what @shapesinaframe says, bizarrely you have to attempt to open it twice before you get the option to allow it!

laczi

@Odaeus This is true. It is so annoying. I have the same problems.

I loved using app shortcuts - the internet should work exactly like this - , but it is becoming a nightmare. I think Apple is just pushing obstacles after obstacles to people not using safari instead.

Sometimes the system preferences > privacy tab doesn't even show the blocked app so I can't even unblock it anymore. And this message is outrageous: Damaged so I must delete it? And in privacy I can allow it to run? (It's not the place but the whole Ventura systems settings is just another annoyingly overcomplicated mess.)

There is nothing wrong with the app shortcut, never was! I am so mad right now.

Is there absolutely no communication between apple and vivaldi so they can sort this out? I can't belive this in 2023 that crucial functions just stop working over and over again. Please Apple, I've bought your hardware, please let me use for work.

huy.dinh

I ran into this issue on my work device and there was no option for me to allow it to just open it, anyway.

Since it's my work device, I have Chrome installed, as well, so I went and created the same app in Chrome to see what the differences were. They were fairly small and the main difference seems to be in Your App Here.app/Contents/MacOS/app_mode_loader.

I tried straight out replacing the Vivaldi-generated Your App Here.app/Contents/MacOS/app_mode_loader with the Chrome-generated one. The app did not open... but I did not get the "is damaged and can't be opened" message, either. So I restored the Your App Here.app/Contents/MacOS/app_mode_loader to the Vivaldi-generated version and suddenly, the app opens without complaining.

My MacOS internals knowledge is not deep enough to understand what has changed – it's not xattr, which seems to be popular with this kind of issue –, but maybe someone else finds this useful to determine the root cause.

For now, this works for me. Let's say I want to use the Gmail app.

Create Vivaldi app Gmail.
Create Chrome app Gmail Chrome.
Go to your app folder (usually ~/Applications/Chrome Apps). All subsequent paths are relative to this folder.
Rename Gmail.app/Contents/MacOS/app_mode_loader to Gmail.app/Contents/MacOS/app_mode_loader.orig.
Copy Gmail Chrome.app/Contents/MacOS/app_mode_loader to Gmail.app/Contents/MacOS/app_mode_loader.
Open Gmail.app. Nothing really happens.
Remove Gmail.app/Contents/MacOS/app_mode_loader.
Rename Gmail.app/Contents/MacOS/app_mode_loader.orig back to Gmail.app/Contents/MacOS/app_mode_loader.

Now Gmail.app should open using Vivaldi and Gmail Chrome.app can be removed.

I actually have no idea how useful this is going to be for everyone, because it kinda requires having Chrome installed... which may not be everyone's cup of tea.