Why do I suddenly need to log into Google to use Vivaldi?

[ndeans]

Vivaldi has been my "go to" browser for years. But ever since the last upgrade it's been asking me to log into Google just to use the browser.

Why oh, why?

[isak]

Vivaldi does not require you to login to Google, have you perhaps setup a gmail mail account or calendar?

[ndeans]

@isak
Thanks, for responding so quickly... I wasn't sure if it was Vivaldi or something else. I'm glad Vivaldi isn't requiring a log in to a major tech firm.

It might actually be the calendar, now that you mention it. I use Google calendar heavily.

I don't mind as long as I know what it is.

Again, thanks!

[LonM]

@isak perhaps it would be best if vivaldi could say what the login prompts are for. Right now (on Windows) it just gives a pop-up window with no title. Something like "log in to calendar <account name>".

[eggert]

@LonM We are currently looking into changes to the oAuth popup window. Mostly from the POV of security but for usability it would be very good to have it show what triggered it. F.ex. which service is requiring a login.

I'll try to keep it in mind once we get further along.

[LonM]

@eggert That would be great. I know I'm in the minority but I really like to know the domain I'm on before I type something into a login prompt. I hate that on mobile apps they never show you this, and it's annoying that the browser (which usually always has an address bar) doesn't show it in specific cases.

[TbGbe]

@eggert
About 6 months ago I configured Vivaldi Webmail as an account in Vivaldi Mail. Everything worked fine until the update to Snapshot 6.1.3001.3.
Now I see the "Login to continue" prompt for Vivaldi webmail on every restart of Vivaldi - I enter password and click "remember me", but next restart, there it again.

[Ayespy]

@TbGbe Interesting. The Vivaldi.net account exhibits no such symptoms in any of my instances. I wonder what the difference is?

[TbGbe]

@Ayespy Direct login to Webmail works with saved password OK.

Edit: I also got the "login request" for my gmail accounts on first launch after upgrade, but they do not repeat on restarts!?

[eggert]

@TbGbe There have been a number of users having similar problems with different services recently. Unknown yet why but it is being investigated by @arnar. Tagging him in case he has some questions to ask.

[edwardp]

@eggert @arnar Regarding Vivaldi Mail OAuth, see VB-97195.

[VivaLaUSA]

@isak Yes it does amount to a requirement to login into Google in a matter of speaking - look at another topic in the forum on this subject: https://forum.vivaldi.net/topic/74728/sign-in-with-google-dialog-keeps-popping-up. Clearly, we have a "Sign in with Google" dialog that says: "Choose an account to continue to Vivaldi". And I might add, this dialog persistently keeps popping up all the time. This is a huge annoyance and must be corrected for Vivaldi be a usable browser. I do NOT want to be linking to Google in any way just to use a browser, period!!

[Ayespy]

@VivaLaUSA The browser is only relaying a notice to you that you have opened a tab or made a connection to Google (something you did, not the browser) and that this connection requires a login. You do not need to be logged into anything, anywhere, ever to use Vivaldi. But if you have, say, a gmail or google maps tab open and that is connected to your google account, this pop-up will appear. There are probably better ways to do it, and the devs are looking at that. But if you are getting this notice and you close any tab connected to any google service and clear your cookies, it will disappear. Unless you are using the embedded mail client or calendar for a Google service, and then you will have to log in to that service for it to work. And the notice will disappear.

[Ayespy]

@VivaLaUSA Personally, though I am logged in to some Google services, I never get this popup. If I never tried any Google connections, like on a new install, I would also never get it.

[VivaLaUSA]

Thanks for the quick reply Ayespy.

In response I have several points:

1. I have been using Google Calendar for years (embedded) in my start-page and have never had to respond to any "login" dialog as I am getting now.
2. The Calendar currently works just fine (just as it always has) - so I have no need and never have had a need to login for the Calendar to work.
3. I've never had to do this before with Vivaldi or any other browsers.
4. In regard to point 3 above - I have 10 browsers installed (including Vivaldi) and NONE of the other browsers require this login to have the Calendar work in my start-page. The start-page has always worked for many years in all browser including Vivaldi and still does (I am not replying to the login dialog - but no problem with the Calendar).

So considering my 4 points above - why do I need to be annoyed with this persistent login dialog?

I can dismiss it but it keeps returning and even if it didn't keep returning this is a terrible annoyance to have to dismiss unnecessary dialog (unnecessary because the Calendar works fine w/out any intervention from me required).

This new update to Vivaldi is a complete disaster in my opinion. Vivaldi is my #2 go to browser (when issues arise on #1) but this new change basically reduces Vivaldi to unusable in my view. Why do software companies always dream up stuff that degrades the product?

Here is the dialog - clearly a "login" requirement to Google is now in place when I have no need for it to use the Google Calendar in my start-page (that is because the Calendar is a widget that my start-page provides that works as it is just fine with all browsers including Vivaldi at this time as well).

[Ayespy]

You either have to log in to whatever Google service you were logged in to before the update, or remove the tab that wants that service.

Unfortunately, Google is treating the new Vivaldi version as an "unknown" app. Vivaldi does not know why, and can't actually fix that. Several of my highly-secured sites that I use regularly do this. They tell me every time Vivaldi updates that I am trying to log in from a new computer. Chrome, Edge and Firefox are "whitelisted" by such sites and don't do that. But as far as they are concerned, Vivaldi is not an actual known browser, and so with each update, it's a "new" computer.

[VivaLaUSA]

I am signed into Google as observed if I use the URL: https://myaccount.google.com/?utm_source=sign_in_no_continue&pli=1

I can see that I AM logged into Google based on the screen-shot below:

This is what I get when using the "myaccount.google.com" URL in the Vivaldi browser - You can see the login information that I've redacted in black and white in two places on the page.

Note: the Google login dialog is opened in a new window by Vivaldi - if Vivaldi would just not bring focus to that new window (w/ the login) but rather stay with the window that I'm using as my start-page it would be better because it could be easier to ignore as I wouldn't be landing on the Google login page but rather my start-page window.

Btw, and FYI - I use start dot me (https://about.start.me) for my start-page and they handle the embedded Calendar widget just fine w/out any need to annoy users with a Google login page that is totally unnecessary.

So it's not just a tab that I can remove but a Vivaldi window that I get sent to by Vivaldi.

So since I AM logged into Google service (as illustrated in the screen-shot) -- WHY am I still getting the Vivaldi imposed Google login dialog?

If the problem is that Vivaldi isn't a "known" browser - then Vivaldi needs to remove this new situation.

It can be done - because before this most current update - none of this was required by Vivaldi (and as I mentioned it's not required for anything on my end to work - all works just fine w/out any need to reply to this new Google dialog that Vivaldi has added that is obviously not necessary for anything on my end to work - again it has all worked fine and still does at this time as well).

Imposing this new (unnecessary) Google login is a very bad decision on the part of Vivaldi.

Just leave stuff alone that works is my motto (and always was during my days of programming as much as possible).

[Ayespy]

@VivaLaUSA Have you tried simply complying with the OAuth popup? The team have verified that Google is treating 6.2 as an "unknown application." How do you propose Vivaldi fix that? It is probable that Google is permitting access to any number of apps on your machine, but not 6.2 itself. Have you tried simply complying with the OAuth popup request? And being "logged in" to Google by the way, does not necessarily afford the full access to your account that Vivaldi needs.

For instance, I have a GMail account. I don't log in to it with Machine A for a few weeks. Machine A is, in fact, off. I boot it up, update the browser, and since the GMail tab is open in the background, OAuth pops up wanting me to sign in. I do so. When I do, stupid Google does two things: It sends me a security alert because a "new machine" has tried to log into my account, and it gives me another popup stating that Vivaldi AREADY had access to my account, but is it ok if it is granted ADDITIONAL access to my account. This is Google's non-standard way of doing things and since it refuses to whitelist Vivaldi as a browser, it happens with expired logins and with version jumps.

[Ayespy]

@VivaLaUSA And again, Vivaldi is not doing this. Google is doing this.

[VivaLaUSA]

@Ayespy said in Why do I suddenly need to log into Google to use Vivaldi?:

This is Google's non-standard way of doing things and since it refuses to whitelist Vivaldi as a browser, it happens with expired logins and with version jumps.

This is a first - I've had expired logins and obviously numerous "version jumps" for Vivaldi before this.

Whatever makes this a unique problem with the new "version jump" could presumably be removed imho (obviously whatever it is that has been added to this new Vivalidi release that involves this new requirement could be removed - simply by removing whatever code included in the new Vivaldi release that impacts this issue.)

-- makes sense to me....

Where am I wrong here?