Unable to scan QR code

This used to work fine but I’m unable to scan QR codes on my Xiaomi Redmi Note 12 Pro. Bitwarden app can bring up the camera and “see” the QR code but it never recognises it. Have to resort to typing in the code. The native “Scanner” and Google Photo apps can scan them fine. I’ve checked Bitwarden permissions: just camera.

This is a relatively new phone (Nov 2023) but I’m pretty sure I’ve added new accounts since then.

I’ll experiment with my M365 account.

Later…

Added TOTP to Microsoft authenticator app for my M365 account - worked fine. Deleted authentication and tried adding via Bitwarden - same problem. Won’t recognise the QR code.

There are posts on here about similar problems but they’re all pretty old.

Later still…

I’ve re-installed Bitwarden app and it managed to scan the M365 TOTP QR code except at first, I didn’t think it was going to work as other scanners are near instant. Took about 5 seconds with Bitwarden.

Spoke too soon. This is very variable. Sometimes it’ll scan, other times it won’t. Trying with this test site, I get about 25% success rate:

https://authenticationtest.com/totpChallenge/

Hey @robnicholson – I’m the person who built out that website (authenticationtest.com) and also a Bitwarden user.

I’ve used this on one of the latest Android devices to scan the QR code and I was able to get 100% success rate.

I can’t speak to why it may not be working for you, but if a camera is dirty it may not scan – it’s also possible my QR code is a bit too small. If you happen to come across a solution, I’d love to hear what you did. Always looking to make my things better!

It’s very intermittent… but every other OCR scan I have to do works flawlessly. Just Bitwarden appears to have trouble. Fortunately, I’m not adding 2FA accounts that often. I’m going to try bringing up the QR code on my laptop next time I need to add one that fails. Normally I’m using my desktop PC.

I don’t think it’s your website at all. When I use Google photo scanner or the scanner app on my Redmi Note with your site I get 100% success rate.

I’ve run into the same problem using a Google Pixel 7. The phone camera app struggled with a QR code, but the Bitwarden Authenticator app failed entirely to scan the QR code. Authy Authenticator app was able to scan the same code with immediately. But I’m trying to migrate away from Authy and use the Bitwarden Authenticator app exclusively.

I’ve not added any new TOTP codes for a while but will try again. Scanning from everything else except Bitwarden works fine.

@ericjmorey

Hi Rob, Hi Eric,

To guage whether or not the problem is affecting other people with the same setup, maybe you can post to reddit (with the details you have here):

https://www.reddit.com/r/Bitwarden/

Filing a bug is an option, but they closed a similar bug as irreproducible pretty quickly. If multiple people report it, maybe it would be taken more seriously. The following is the bug they closed. I would just file a new bug, linking this old one if necessary.

ps: I am an Android user, not using the BW TOTP feature, but scanned the authenticatortest website successfully 4/4.

Hi All … I have been having this exact same issue for probably the last few months … don’t have any trouble scanning QR codes in any other app, but the Bitwarden screen capture comes up and “sees” the QR code but doesn’t capture it, just as OP states …

I am using a Samsung Galaxy S22, have been using the Bitwarden app without issue for over a year, then only just started having this problem several months ago.

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fyi, Google Authenticator has no trouble scanning the exact same code in the same session, so I really don’t think it is a phone camera or OS issue.

I’ve just used my phone at a local event where I was scanning in QR codes from loads of different phones and print outs using a free QR Code scanner app. I scanned ~100 tickets without fail. So this is not a hardware problem but it could still be a phone/OS issue. We’re unable to use fingerprint recognition with UK banking apps since the last OS upgrade so it’s not unknown for faults to occur on one phone/make and not others.

But we’re using different phones so that chances of it being that are much reduced pointing very much towards an app issue.

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I was having trouble with this too. I scanned a code for one site almost instantly, the second one would not scan after multiple attempts. I finally got it to work when I zoomed the browser to 200%. Then it scanned instantly. Oddly enough, monitor scaling didn’t get me there.

Hold control key and scroll (if you didn’t know how to zoom). It might cut the code off, but I was able to scroll down and bring the whole code back in view.

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Same issue here, Samsung A70, bitwarden was scanning codes successfully but probably year ago it no longer works. As previous guys mentioned, Google auth and MS authenticator can do it just fine on the same phone, so it’s not hardware or “dirty lens” issue.
What I do now is scan code with QR scanner app and extract secret, then paste it as code to TOTP.

I was having the same issue. I was finally able to scan after trying different angles. It took awhile trying many different angles, but it finally was able to read it.

Haven’t had to add a new QR code recently but Xaomi did fix the problem with fingerprint security not working with UK banking apps.