Bitwarden authenticator won't scan the google QR

Hi, i’m new to Bit-warden, however i might have run into a #showstopper.
Fact is that when i open the google authenticator and go to transfer codes i get the QR code as it should.
I have tried my main Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra UI7 and my old Galaxy S10 edge and on neither of them will the Bit-warden auththenticator scan the QR code.

I have seen more people on Reddit who are experiencing the exact same problem but no solution there either.
Is there a work around for this problem ?

bitwarden passkey works only with the browser plugin; not cross device. There is a request for such a feature.

@Anousjka @Jeffry_Engert Welcome to the forum!

@Jeffry_Engert I think this has nothing to do with passkeys here. The export QR code (for TOTP seed codes) of the Google authenticator was meant.

@Anousjka I just tried it myself. I made a screenshot of the QR code of the Google authenticator (with/for some test TOTP seed codes). To scan it with the Bitwarden authenticator app on my mobile phone, I opened the screenshot on my desktop PC screen. The BW authenticator app added the codes instantly.

UPDATE:

I have been in touch with Bit-warden support and it’s a known problem.
Here is their answer that i received by email:
Quote:
Hello Anousjka,

Thank you so much for getting in touch with Bitwarden’s Customer Support team.

I can confirm that another user has reported the same issue and is experiencing the same behavior.

This has been escalated internally, and while I’m not able to provide an ETA for when this will be resolved, I can assure you that our Development team is investigating and we hope to have a fix included in an upcoming Bitwarden release.

If there’s anything else you need assistance with or if you have any more questions, please don’t hesitate to reach out!
End Quote

So we just have to sit this one out and be patient.

Thanks for this update.

One question though: are you speaking about (and want to import to) the integrated authenticator – or about the BW authenticator app?

The authenticator app
There’s no integrated authenticator because that would make the development team look stupid when they develop a authenticator app while it’s taken care of internal already, wouldn’t it ?

There is (and for many years now – in the BW password manager):

(image from: Integrated Authenticator | Bitwarden)

How did you scan the screenshot with the authenticator app? Did you use two mobile devices, like one device showed the QR code and with the other device, you tried to scan with the authenticator app?

BTW, now I found a corresponding bug report to your issue: Mobile app unable to scan some QR codes · Issue #4184 · bitwarden/android · GitHub (Edit: Sorry, that bug report was for the password manager mobile app - not the authenticator app)

please read my original post so i don’t have to type everything twice.

Regarding the internal authenticator, i missed that one, but it think it’s not smart to use that because IF and that’s a BIG IF, when someone manages to get into your BW app, they also have the authenticator codes.
i might have been born blonde but i ain’t stupid, that’s why i run Linux, but that’s a different story (link in my profile)

I did that and there it’s not really written, how you scanned the QR code (if one device showed the QR code and the other one scanned it, if you used a screenshot, …):

Don’t tell me you did not understand what it said without me adding the word SCAN in there.

You are obviously trying to help me out here, but i won’t put passwords and auth codes in one and the same app, that’s like letting a wolf guard the sheep.
So i will wait till the BW development team fixes the standalone authenticator app.

I honestly still don’t understand – even with the word SCAN – if you scanned the QR code

  1. from the display of another phone or
  2. from the display of a laptop or desktop (by making a screenshot of the QR code and opening that image file then)

(or if you tried both or not)

I was just curious, if it fails under all circumstances (on a laptop/desktop one could even “enlarge” the view of the QR code) and if “image quality” – or the different properties of displays/screens – or size of the QR code would make a difference when scanning it.

So we would have a possible workaround – or the knowledge it doesn’t matter – for you and for everyone else who might end up in this thread seeking advice.

No, as I just wrote, I was interested in understanding more about this issue and if a workaround would be there for the Bitwarden authenticator app or if it absolutely doesn’t matter how you try to scan the QR code.

i understand that you are interested and are looking for a workaround just as thousand’s of other users do.
I don’t want to sound harsh but sadly there is no work around for the stand alone app yet, wich is good in a way since a workaround could potential also be a security risk.
so let’s just wait and continue our day in the meanwhile.

Hi everyone, can you confirm what version number of the app you’re experiencing this issue on?

New BW user. Trying to scan bw qr code to setup TFA. Samsung A23.
When I open the BW authenticator app after installation, it says “cannot scan QR code. Enter key manually”- before I even point it at the QR code. Have uninstalled. Restarted my phone, reinstalled, restarted. No change. Photos and other recent qr codes have been fine. Puzzled.

Hi everyone, can you confirm what version number of the app you’re experiencing this issue on?

Same issue here. Bitwarden Authenticator App struggles to scan barcodes. For me, I get maybe one out of 10. Multiple other apps scan the barcode just fine. Tried scanning from my Galaxy 24+, my Tab 8+ as well. Tried scanning multiple displays, desktop, laptop, tablet, phone…same result.

Hope they fix it soon, I am in the process of moving to the Bitwarden App because I liked it better and want to be all Bitwarden…but this isn’t good, so may need to rethink that and keep Google Authenticator as well I guess.

@ulrick65 Welcome to the forum!

As @dwbit asked above: what version of the authenticator app are you using?

Hm, if you have one or two examples of sites, where one could register easily - or a site that may be popular enough, so that one already could have an account too :wink: - we could try to reproduce it.

PS: Not meant as nitpicking - you were trying to scan QR codes with the app, right? As you wrote of “barcodes”…