Couldn't sign you in - Google account

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1

Description
For a few weeks, I’ve been getting an error message quite often when I’m trying to log in from the gmail page, on a desktop PC using Brave on Windows 10.

After I enter my login ID (not my password yet), I get this message:

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Usually, “Try again” works around the problem.

I’ve been using Brave for 9 months or so, and I never had this problem once before. Now, it happens about 30-40% of the time (I log on and off every day). I haven’t changed nor installed anything on my end.

Version
I’m using Brave version 1.79.118 x64, on Windows 10 22H2 x64.

Other information
Before, I was using Chrome. It’s still installed, so I did a series of about 10 login tests, but I couldn’t reproduce this error with Chrome.

I’ve searched a little and found similar reports, but nothing helpful or conclusive (or even recent), so I’m not sure whether it’s the browser or something else.

2

@Redglyph

Try:

In a Brave Browser New Window, go to the Brave Browser (“BB”) settings page: brave://settings/content/siteDetails?site=https%3A%2F%2Fgoogle.com

Scroll down to JavaScript and either, set that to “Allow” or verify that the setting is already “Allow” ← maybe toggle that setting.

And repeat those steps for gmail.com → go to the Brave Browser (“BB”) settings page: brave://settings/content/siteDetails?site=https%3A%2F%2Fgmail.com

Next, go to: https://community.brave.app/t/brave-keeps-logging-me-out-of-google/599655/5 . . . and Add / edit the list of sources for Google eco-system JavaScripts.

1 Like
3

Thanks, I’ll try.

I’m never logged out, though. I just often have to log in several times, especially for one specific account (sometimes, I even have to try several times before I can enter the password).

4

That didn’t change anything, unfortunately. Maybe Google can detect it’s a Brave flavour and does this to discourage its users.

1 Like
5

@Redglyph

Re using YouTube

Sometimes, I have to disconnect, wait, reconnect . . . VPN service, and that resolves the issue.

Sometimes, I have to restart the computing device, then peck around YouTube, and finally it plays.

Sometimes, I use Vivaldi browser ← that works; and sometimes, after using Vivaldi, then BB works.

I suspect that Google is looking for enough “fingerprint” material, computing device “identifiers” . . . and then, “it works.”

Applying that to a Google account - that might help(?), but I do not have a Google account, and I have not been able to dig further - monitoring the sequence of network activity.

TIP: Use and compare the Developer Tools > Network windows of all of BB, Firefox, and Microsoft Edge.

6

Stealthily Google makes it harder for other competitive browsers to login, especially brave, because of its shield, ad blocking capabilities, it will not bother you if you use Edge, Chrome or Safari, the three musketeers. Google does everything it can to prevent users from using any other browser.

1 Like
7

It’s not a network issue since I don’t have that in the same environment and Chrome.

It’s a problem in the Brave browser, which seems to fail something during the login that makes the server thinks it’s not JS-compatible. The identity is taken from a cookie, so I don’t have to enter my identity, just confirm I want to log in. It happens after that and before the server sends the password form.

This morning, I had to retry 3 times.

I suppose I’ll just report it as a bug; I thought it was worth asking here first. Since it’s a recurrent problem, I thought others who had it could give some hint.

Edge, Chrome, and Brave now use the same browser engine, as well as a series of others (and Safari is for macOS).

I suspected it might have something to do with the way Brave reacted to the Manifest V3 extension, but it sounds a little too conspiracy-theory. A non-compliance issue from either side seems the most likely explanation to me. Maybe Google has changed the protocol and is testing it in a region.

8

I also noticed it didn’t happen on my first account—I have to mention I’m logging in into two email accounts (sometimes more). The sequence is a little different than the first account, for some strange reason:

  • when I click on “Sign in” (when the identities are already in cookies), it goes straight to the password form for the 1st login
  • When I click on “Sign in” for the next login(s), it goes to an intermediate, useless page just to mention it needs to verify the identity. There, I have to click “Next” to get the password form, and that’s where it fails quite often.

EDIT: Scratch that, it happens on the first login, too.

9

Reported in the GitHub, but seeing the number of bugs (5k+), I doubt it’ll be fixed anytime soon.

10

I’ve had luck with deleting browsing data then restarting Brave. My Android phone is now telling me that Brave is an insecure browser. It could be that Google are playing games.

11

No, there are problems with other sites, like ProtonMail. There’s a bug somewhere, but nobody seems to be looking at the bug I reported. To be fair, there are so many bugs (5k+) that I’m not sure how they can tackle all of that.

12

I get the same problem around 50% of the time - this drops to around 20% if I disable Brave Shields

Don’t know if it’s related but more recently when going to Youtube I’ve gotten a message *sign in prove you’re not a bot * which only used to to happen when using a proxy/TOr/VPN
This has nothing to do with my internet / IP since when I used Firefox I got no message

I agree with Redglyph & adambask - it seems Google is using shady practices to harm it’s competitors
Maybe Brave should start their own email service

13

I figure:

When connecting to a website, the website will send items to the Internet browser. For each item sent to the browser, the website expects a response from the Internet browser. The website may expect a specific response, or something of a variable nature within certain boundaries.

The website effectively uses checklists. A checklist may be simple, for all Internet browsers connecting; but now days, there may be a series of checklists in succession, responding to how the Internet browser has been responding.

When the website is not satisfied, the website may resort to a variety of tactics, in attempts for the website to become satisfied. ← THERE, is where modern/recent tactics “are the rub.” Tactics, website effectively sends tests for:

  • “man in the middle” attacks
  • “bot” attacks
  • javascript activities
  • ad-block activities

Basically, the website sends a lot of what I call “Timing and Scoring” items/tests, trying to satisfy one or more of the website’s checklists. Internet browsers have some common responses. But, Brave Browser does not necessarily respond the same as other Internet browsers.

So, for example, Firefox completes webpage rendering via a VPN connection, but Brave Browser does not complete webpage rendering via the same VPN connection. Monitoring via Internet browser > Developer Tools > Network window, sometimes gives an indication of “the why of it.”

As I wrote above, I sometimes succeed at connecting well, with YouTube (of the Google eco-system / Google Sphere), by adjusting the VPN connection - selecting some other VPN server.

So, Brave Browser succeeds - and whatever is the SNAFU, some of that SNAFU is caused by the website’s one or more checklists. (PS. There is always the running web compatibility battle with Google.)

Brave Browser is sort of the multi-engine aircraft version of Internet browsers - a more complex array of switches, than the convenient single engined types. Similar basic flight principles, but different flight characteristics. Brave Browser requires study and determination. IMHO

14

@Redglyph can you share your GH issue? Thanks

2 Likes
15

@steeven Here it is: #46876

EDIT. It’s been less frequent for 2 weeks or so, but it still happens. When it fails, I can usually go back, which is quick with a keyboard shortcut, then try again. Except when the first login fails, in which case I have to go back and refresh (otherwise, I can go back 20-30 times and hit the same problem again and again).

16

That bug is being ignored, apparently.

If anyone else has the same problem, please add information of your settings in the bug report:

17

Did you see the issue on GitHub?

Do you need more information?

18

Apparently not…

I have a hunch that it depends on what’s loaded for the first login page. I should try to store it and compare both cases (successful/failed), but I have the impression the devs aren’t interested in that problem.

19

@Redglyph

What I would do now, is “flush the grime”:

In a Brave Browser New Window, go to the Basic tab at brave://settings/clearBrowserData and set ‘Time range’ to ‘All time’ and then enable:

  • Cached images and files
  • Cookies and other site data

Click Delete data button.

Next, in a Brave Browser New Window, go to, one-at-a-time, each of the following brave://settings/content/siteDetails pages:

Google eco-system/sphere domains and hostnames:
  • brave://settings/content/siteDetails?site=https%3A%2F%2Faccounts.google.com
  • brave://settings/content/siteDetails?site=https%3A%2F%2Faccounts.youtube.com
  • brave://settings/content/siteDetails?site=https%3A%2F%2Fajax.googleapis.com
  • brave://settings/content/siteDetails?site=https%3A%2F%2Ffirebaseapp.com
  • brave://settings/content/siteDetails?site=https%3A%2F%2Ffirebasedatabase.app
  • brave://settings/content/siteDetails?site=https%3A%2F%2Ffirebaseio.com
  • brave://settings/content/siteDetails?site=https%3A%2F%2Ffonts.googleapis.com
  • brave://settings/content/siteDetails?site=https%3A%2F%2Ffonts.gstatic.com
  • brave://settings/content/siteDetails?site=https%3A%2F%2Fgmail.com
  • brave://settings/content/siteDetails?site=https%3A%2F%2Fgoogle.com
  • brave://settings/content/siteDetails?site=https%3A%2F%2Fgoogleapis.com
  • brave://settings/content/siteDetails?site=https%3A%2F%2Fgoogleusercontent.com
  • brave://settings/content/siteDetails?site=https%3A%2F%2Fgooglevideo.com
  • brave://settings/content/siteDetails?site=https%3A%2F%2Fgstatic.com
  • brave://settings/content/siteDetails?site=https%3A%2F%2Fjnn-pa.googleapis.com
  • brave://settings/content/siteDetails?site=https%3A%2F%2Fmail.google.com
  • brave://settings/content/siteDetails?site=https%3A%2F%2Fplay.google.com
  • brave://settings/content/siteDetails?site=https%3A%2F%2Fstorage.googleapis.com
  • brave://settings/content/siteDetails?site=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.gstatic.com
  • brave://settings/content/siteDetails?site=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com
  • brave://settings/content/siteDetails?site=https%3A%2F%2Fyoutube.com

TIP: Notice that the long brave://settings/content/siteDetails?site=https%3A%2F%2F portion for each site details settings page, is the same . . . followed by a domain name or hostname. Remember that, when the browser is unable to reach the actual site ← when you CANNOT use the tune icon located just outside the left end of the Brave Browser’s URL address field.

At each of those Brave Browser Site Details Settings pages, click the Clear data or Delete data button, if either is available; otherwise, click the Reset permissions button.

Next, in a Brave Browser New Window, go to, one-at-a-time, each of those brave://settings/content/siteDetails pages, and scroll down to JavaScript and set the selection manually to Allow.

Exit / Quit Brave Browser and Restart the computer.

You might also test the issue by:

A) Using Brave Browser New Private Windows.

B) ENABLING both Cached images and files and Cookies and other site data for the On exit tab at brave://settings/clearBrowserData

C) DISABLING all extensions that you have added to Brave Browser.

D) Set the Select DNS provider to OS default (when available)

E) Creating and using a new Brave Browser user profile - only ← meaning, do not have any other Brave Browser user profile tabs/windows open. When creating this new Brave Browser user profile for test purposes, do not import anything, do not allow/enable any Brave Browser “bells and whistles” such as Brave Rewards, Brave Talk, etc.

F) Download, install, and run Brave Browser Beta.