Existing verification request should be accepted when I try to start a new verification request - otherwise there is a stalemate with no obvious way to continue the process

[MadLittleMods]

Steps to reproduce

1. Login to the Android app (new session)
2. Get prompted to "Verify this login"
   
3. On your Element Web instance, go to Settings -> Security & Privacy -> Unverified devices and press Verify on the Element Android item (do not use the Verification requested toast)
   
4. Notice how nothing happens and the verification process does not proceed on either device

Outcome

What did you expect?

When I go to Settings -> Security & Privacy -> Unverified devices and press Verify in Element Web, it accepts the existing verification request from Android instead of trying to create a new verification request which is hidden from Android while already trying to verify.

Or maybe change the "Verify" button into an "Accept" button when we see a existing verification request from that device in the unverified devices list.

---

When I first went through the verification process, I thought the verification request wasn't going through on either side but after going through this verification process multiple times, I see now that when I press the "Verify this login" prompt on Android, it actually sends a verification request to the Element Web instance. I either ignored that toast in Element Web or had the settings modal open already which had the toast in the background.

Spawned from element-hq/element-android#5808

What happened instead?

Nothing happens, just staring at both screens waiting for verification to continue.

Operating system

Windows 10

Browser information

Chrome version 100.0.4896.127

URL for webapp

https://develop.element.io/

Application version

Element version: b41e215-react-6e86a14cc95d-js-d82cdd3b1972 Olm version: 3.2.8

Homeserver

matrix.org

Will you send logs?

Yes

• Element Android logs: https://github.com/matrix-org/element-android-rageshakes/issues/37184
• Element Web logs: https://github.com/matrix-org/element-web-rageshakes/issues/12317

[richvdh]

I heavily suspect this is no longer a problem, since we rewrote the crypto stack

[MadLittleMods]

Have the UI flows changed to accommodate this?

Is the crypto-stack more than just a behind the scenes thing?

Seems like something we could have a test for.

[richvdh]

Is the crypto-stack more than just a behind the scenes thing?

Quite a lot of application code had to be changed to make the stacks interchangeable, not least in the verification department.

Honestly, I haven't found the time to test this out, so it might still be a thing, though I'd be surprised.

Seems like something we could have a test for.

Absolutely. Sadly, it's unlikely to make it very high up our priority list and I don't think there's much value keeping open an issue that's never going to be solved.

[MadLittleMods]

I just tested Element Android 1.6.26 and Element Web (develop.element.io) and it seems to work.

Element version: 9f5f898ed8a4-js-e5fda72884ce
Crypto version: Rust SDK 0.8.0 (21f7cc7), Vodozemac 0.8.1

The Element Android flow is a bit weird and has the same green banner prompt as before but clicking it doesn't give any indication that I can use an existing device to verify things (just wants me to use a recovery key). In any case, I just went to Element Web -> Settings -> Sessions -> Unverified sessions and hit Verify and the flows kept moving along on Element Android and Element Web to success ✅

Thanks for the extra info and understanding!