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[PM-46739] [Urgent] Google Authenticator export QR codes are not recognized on two Samsung devices #7605
Description
Steps To Reproduce
- In Google Authenticator, open the account/code transfer flow and export accounts as QR codes.
- Open the QR scanner in the standalone Bitwarden Authenticator app.
- Point the scanner at a Google Authenticator export QR code.
- Try the other Google Authenticator export QR codes and repeat on the second device.
Expected Result
Bitwarden Authenticator recognizes Google Authenticator export QR codes and imports the selected accounts in bulk, as described in https://bitwarden.com/help/authenticator-import-export/.
Actual Result
None of the Google Authenticator export QR codes I tried are recognized. The scanner does not react or import the accounts. Simpler QR codes are recognized by the scanner.
I tested this on two Samsung devices and reproduced the problem on both. This blocks migration of my authenticator accounts from Google Authenticator to Bitwarden Authenticator.
Screenshots or Videos
Not attached.
Additional Context
Priority requested: Urgent. Bulk migration is blocked on both tested devices. Please investigate the Google Authenticator export/import path.
Related issue: #6264 is closed as fixed. This report describes the problem I am currently experiencing, specifically with Google Authenticator export QR codes. Whether it shares the same underlying cause is unknown.
Build Version
2026.10.1 (2026), installed from the store (latest version available to me).
What server are you connecting to?
Not recorded. The failure occurs while scanning an export QR code in Bitwarden Authenticator.
Self-host Server Version
Not provided.
Environment Details
- Device 1: Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra.
- Device 2: Samsung Galaxy A56 (model recalled from memory; not yet confirmed).
- OS: Android; exact versions not recorded.
- Bitwarden app: standalone Bitwarden Authenticator 2026.10.1 (2026), installed from the store.
- Source app: Google Authenticator; exact versions not recorded.
- Reproducibility: reproduced on both devices; none of the Google Authenticator export QR codes tested were recognized, while simpler QR codes were recognized.
Issue Tracking Info
- I understand that work is tracked outside of Github. A PR will be linked to this issue should one be opened to address it, but Bitwarden doesn't use fields like "assigned", "milestone", or "project" to track progress.
Activity
bitwarden-bot commentedon Nov 11, 2026
Thank you for your report! We've added this to our internal board for review.
ID: PM-46739
[-][Urgent] Google Authenticator export QR codes are not recognized on two Samsung devices[/-][+][PM-46739] [Urgent] Google Authenticator export QR codes are not recognized on two Samsung devices[/+]pamperer562580892423 commentedon Nov 11, 2026
Another user here.
@iM3SK Could you add your BW authenticator app version number? (Settings > Version)
To "Bitwarden staff": please add the missing tags/labels for
bugandauthenticator app. (it's harder to filter issues also for us users with those tags missing due to those machine mediated reports)iM3SK commentedon Nov 11, 2026
The Bitwarden Authenticator version is 2026.10.1 (2026), installed from the store (the latest version available to me).
pamperer562580892423 commentedon Nov 11, 2026
@iM3SK I had three test entries in my Google Authenticator app - that is the QR code for those three entries (they don't contain any personal information):
I can scan that QR code both with my Fairphone 5 and a Moto G9 play (with BW authenticator app 2026.10.1).
Can you scan that code? (BTW, I couldn't screenshot it, so I had to take a photo of it - though it's not perfectly sharp, I could scan it... maybe zoom out a bit)
pamperer562580892423 commentedon Nov 11, 2026
BTW, can you scan the QR code that I used in #6264 and that you referenced here:
?
iM3SK commentedon Nov 11, 2026
@pamperer562580892423 To clarify the scope: I have more than 100 authenticator entries in Google Authenticator. Simple QR codes scan normally. The larger/more complex export codes from my Google Authenticator collection are what Bitwarden Authenticator fails to recognize; the scanner simply does not react. I reproduced this on both Samsung devices.
There is also a visual difference: the complex export codes I see do not appear to have the usual square markers in the corners, like the ones in your example. This is an observation about their appearance; I have not identified the exact code format.
Could you test an export from a Google Authenticator collection with 100+ entries, and check whether Bitwarden Authenticator supports the format of the more complex codes generated in that case? That is the migration scenario that is failing for me.
pamperer562580892423 commentedon Nov 11, 2026
@iM3SK Okay, but Sorry - I stopped at about 80 codes. Google authenticator produces QR code batches of 10 codes each, so I'm not sure if it makes any difference at this point.
Here the first two that you can also test (and those seem to be the more "complex ones"):
I can scan them with the authenticator app. Though, the first one needed a few seconds, because it's more "blurry" than the second one. (and of course, you have to zoom out quite a bit to be able to scan them)
You wrote before that the "square markers" in the corners of the QR codes are missing in your case. As you see, I can't reproduce that. - Do you have dark mode enabled which might have "corrupted" your QR code display? (there was an issue recently where the QR codes of the 2FAS test site were distorted because some forced dark mode made the QR codes unreadable for the BW password manager integrated authenticator's scanner... just for the record, this was the report: bitwarden/clients#23936)
iM3SK commentedon Nov 11, 2026
@pamperer562580892423 It does not work. I cannot scan this code on either device. The scanner does not react to this code on either of them.
iM3SK commentedon Nov 11, 2026
@pamperer562580892423 Sorry, I need to correct my earlier statement: the square markers in the corners are present. I simply did not notice them. That was my mistake.
Also, even in dark mode, the QR codes are clearly visible on a white background, so dark mode does not seem to be the cause of the scanning problem.
pamperer562580892423 commentedon Nov 11, 2026
@iM3SK Interesting. So, for now it looks like the Samsung scanner has still an issue, despite the fix for #6264 (BTW, did you try to scan that code there? might be good to know if that fix "worked" for your Samsung devices or not)
iM3SK commentedon Nov 11, 2026
@pamperer562580892423 Yes, I tested the specific QR code from #6264 on both Samsung devices. Neither device can scan it; the Bitwarden Authenticator scanner does not react on either device.