Blank screen on mobile clients

[alternative4]

Getting trouble while getting access to Rocket Chat from mobile clients. After I enter server URL it goes "Connecting - Downloading" and then just blank screen (first login).

• Version of Rocket.Chat Server: 0.60.0
• Operating System: Ubuntu 16.04 LTS
• Deployment Method(snap/docker/tar/etc): snap
• Number of Running Instances: 1
• DB Replicaset Oplog: On
• Node Version: 8.9.3

Behaviour slightly differs between mobile clients (newly installed, no user data): Android Rocket.Chat: Enter server name -> Validating... -> Downloading -> Finished download ->White screen Android Rocket.Chat+: Server name -> Invalid server version Android Rocket.Chat ReactNative: Server name -> valid Rocket.Chat server ->, no popup login screen (no further actions).

Actually almost all behaviour boils to unabilty to display logon screen. Web-browsers (Chrome for Android or PC) works OK on the same URL from the same devices. Windows client also works OK.

Tried with or without assets - same blank screen result.

Server log at the moment of blank screen: 34mI20171228-15:56:58.942(3) rocketchat_logger rocketchat_logger.js:278 Meteor ➔ publish null -> userId: null , arguments: {} and nothing else.

[pedroarinto]

We are experiencing exactly the same problem with 0.60.0 on Android devices. Web version works, as well as Mac and Windows Desktop clients.

[robertwessen]

Same issue here, happened immediately following 0.60.1 upgrade for us. Tried clearing application cache and complete re-install of mobile Rocket.Chat clients with same result.

From the Android mobile Rocket.Chat client, this is the last error message seen via adb logcat when the blank screen appears: 12-28 13:17:39.747 1722 1722 I chromium: [INFO:CONSOLE(21)] "Uncaught ReferenceError: WebAppLocalServer is not defined", source: http://httpsREDACTED.meteor.local/e719e16434b26a9f06c7ae4cbc0e643e5e4f9378.js?meteor_js_resource=true (21)

where REDACTED is the fqdn of our chat server without any dots, like "fullyqualifieddomaincom" there are a number of similar errors in the log above as well.

[TomaszDom]

....so not a single Android app works with the latest "stable" version of Rocket.Chat? @rodrigok ?

[rodrigok]

@TomaszDom The native apps should work, did you try the Rocket.Chat+ app?

[rodrigok]

We are investigating why this error is happening, hope we will have a fix tomorrow

[ledainam]

Rocketchat++ not fully function like Rocketchat @rodrigok Notification slowly than Rocketchat.

[alternative4]

@rodrigok Rocket.Chat+ returns "Invalid server version" error.

[TomaszDom]

@rodrigok I had to clear app data and cache of Rocket.Chat+ 1.0.33 to make it work. #9270

@alternative4 Are you sure you're trying "Rocket.Chat+" and not the ReactNative version? Because the ReactNative version didn't work for me with 0.58.0 and it still doesn't with 0.60.1 with the same "Invalid server version" message. Are you perhaps running Rocket.Chat behind Nginx or Apache?

[alternative4]

@TomaszDom Yes, Rocket.Chat+behind Apache ReverseProxy. Rocket.Chat+ mobile does not support ReverseProxy? Windows PC client does.

[TomaszDom]

@alternative4 It may be unrelated, but take a look at what I had to do to make Rocket.Chat+ work when Nginx load balancing/reverse proxy is involved https://github.com/RocketChat/Rocket.Chat.Android/issues/375

Make sure you are using "Rocket.Chat+", not "Rocket.Chat" application and make sure you cleared application data and cache.

[alternative4]

@TomaszDom Thanks, I'll give it a try.

[slyk]

Got same problem on all our Android devices :(

[rodrigok]

@slyk we are working to release a new Android version ASAP, the problem was related with new JS features not supported by current webview version. Meanwhile you can use the native apps Rocket.Chat+

[ghost]

Well. I'm using the rocketchat+ client and have the very same problem. Cannot connect to 0.60.x server.

[TomaszDom]

@himbeere is your server running behind a reverse proxy? Try allowing unencrypted connections on port 80 to /websocket and /api/info locations instead of redirecting all traffic to https at port 443. That's what I had to do to make "Rocket.Chat+" work back in September with Nginx. https://github.com/RocketChat/Rocket.Chat.Android/issues/375#issuecomment-329981458

[rasos]

Also fairchat App works against RC 0.60.1 - you may give it a try https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.osalliance.rocketchatMobile

[ghost]

Fairchat does not work for me either. Also i'm using apache so the nginx problem should not apply to me.

Is someone working on this problem right now? I'm stuck with version 0.59.x for now.

cheers t.

[TomaszDom]

@himbeere just because you don't use Nginx doesn't mean it isn't the same problem.

What I suggest you do is run mitmproxy between your phone and the server, see the traffic for yourself and compare between a working installation and one that doesn't work with Rocket.Chat+.

BTW, Fairchat doesn't work for me either (as well as the ReactNative app which tells me I don't have a valid server...).

[ghost]

Yes. Next step would be to run tcpdump or the like to see what's happening. But i thought the rocketchat team would spare me that hassle. :)

cheers t.

[geekgonecrazy]

Typically if Rocket.Chat+ doesn't work it's one of two things.

1. You aren't using ssl. The iOS version requires it. Or if you are using ssl you are using self signed. There are ssl test websites that will tell you.
2. Your reverse proxy (nginx or apache) is not properly configured to handle upgrade of websocket. More often then not it's actually apache users I see with this problem. Nginx ships with websocket support in all later versions.

The documentation for setting up nginx and apache in our docs should show how to do it and have websocket working.

[ghost]

@geekgonecrazy I guess the real problem is all of us had a working setup and that broke with updating to 0.60.0. So it would be interesting what exactly broke the setup.

[geekgonecrazy]

Understood. The legacy Cordova app I believe has a fix in the beta channel. I believe something to do with some Android devices not having high enough version of webview.. so having to push out new version of app with updated baked in webview. 0.60.0 uses newer javascript language features.

I'm simply explaining to those that are trying the Rocket.Chat+ app and having issues.

[rasos]

@himbeere @TomaszDom as the fairchat App did not work for you either, maybe you can report on an extra issue here and tell us what your problem was: https://git.fairkom.net/chat/fairchat/issues

[robertwessen]

I think there are several issues going on in here which I hope doesn't muddy the response. To add more info from my org's own internal troubleshooting.

1) Android 8.1+ (possibly 8+?) works with the cordova based Android Rocket.Chat after the server is upgraded to 0.60+, anything lower does not. Based on Google numbers from last month, this means less than 1% of Android users can currently use the Cordova app.

2) Android RocketChat+ handles TLS/x509 certificate validation differently than Android Rocket.Chat and will try to fall back to HTTP when it fails. On the same device, the Cordova based app will accept the cert, RocketChat+ will not. We have an internal CA which signs our rocket.chat cert, and is installed on all devices as a trusted root. While we need to do more troubleshooting here to figure out why, this cert is ok in browsers and the Cordova app, but the RocketChat+ client reports it is invalid. (I suspect subjectaltname validation changes, but haven't confirmed)

This means in some cases large portions of Android users are simply out of luck after upgrading to 0.60.0 or higher. I think it would be helpful to separate these cases out so they don't get confused or something missed after any one issue is addressed.

[rodrigok]

I just released a new version of our cordova app, can you upgrade (new version is 2.6.0) and test it?

[ledainam]

It is working now @rodrigok. Thanks you.

[robertwessen]

2.6.0 works here as well, thanks @rodrigok

[danielmorlock]

Can somebody briefly explain: What is the cordova app and how is it related with rocket?

[slyk]

@rodrigok thanks for fast reaction. All works again.

@danielmorlock "cordova" is the app without plus sign at play store. Its official (I think) :) there is no "cordova" word in title, its just name of wrapping technology to create app from HTML.

[rodrigok]

@danielmorlock Cordova is the name of the technology we used to create the Rocket.Chat app, it's basically a browser view adding some native features like push notifications and access to the camera, it downloads a mobile version of the Rocket.Chat server and keeps in cache to prevent waste your bandwidth every time you open the app.

We have the + apps, Rocket.Chat+, they are native, it means they was developed using native technologies to be fast and battery efficient, but since they need to be developed from scratch 2 times (one for iOS and other for Android) we have some lack of features at this moment, the Cordova app have all the feature cuz it's basically a browser web view that downloads the web version containing all the features.

[danielmorlock]

Thanks @slyk and @rodrigok.

[alternative4]

It works on Cordova app. Thanks!

[junlicn]

same problem with server as cloud trial : mobile client version 2.4 : android-armv7-release.apk

after connecting to the server, then blank.
I set up server today, it means the latest server and latest mobile client.