Cannot upgrade if default browser is not Chrome

[jochenberger]

From time to time, the app tells me that it needs to be upgraded before I can continue using it. When I hit the "Upgrade" button, the Chrome web store opens in Firefox, which is my default browser. I cannot upgrade the app from there. If I open the web store in Chromium instead, I can only launch but not upgrade the app.
I have to completely remove and and then install Signal again from within the Chromium app launcher.

[smichel17]

Copy the link and open it in chromium instead of Firefox, and you should be able to update.

[jochenberger]

No, I tried that. It just opens the Chrome web store and from there, I can only launch the app.

[mawed]

Open chrome://extensions/ in your chrome browser,
check the "developer mode" and then click "update extensions now"

(I translated the different points, so you have so search for analog meanings)

[jochenberger]

@mawed I already reinstalled, so I'm on the newest version. I'll try that next time I get the error, but IIRC, I already tried that the last time and it did not work.

[smichel17]

Do you know if this is a signal-specific issue or whether you have issues updating other chrome apps?

My signal desktop upgrades automatically. Maybe figuring out why yours doesn't would be a place to start troubleshooting?

[jochenberger]

Sorry, I have no other Chome apps.

[michaelkirk]

@jochenberger could you at least fill out this part from the issue template?

Platform info

Operating System: My Operating System A
Browser: My Browser X.Y.Z

Signal version: Z.Y.Y

[jochenberger]

Sure:
Operating System: Debian testing/unstable
Browser: Chromium 55.0.2883.75-3
Signal version: 0.27.0

[liliakai]

FWIW, we could open the web store link in the appropriate Chrom* browser using window.open rather than relying on the default click handler.

[kalikaneko]

same situation here.
it's the second time that to keep using signal I have to uninstall it and install it again.
The "update" button just goes to the google store and just shows the option to launch app.
"update extensions now" doesn't seem to do anything. how can I get more debug info?

OS: Debian 9.0
Browser: Chromium 55.0.2883.75
Signal version: 0.25.4

[joker234]

same here

OS: Debian 9.0 (Linux hostname 4.9.0-1-amd64 #1 SMP Debian 4.9.6-3 (2017-01-28) x86_64 GNU/Linux)
Browser: Chromium 56.0.2924.76
Signal version: 0.27.0

It is really annoying, because I can not use the old version and have to update immediately.

[nilsbecker]

same here. os: OS X 10.12.5 default browser: firefox. signal runs on vivaldi.

[nilsbecker]

my workaround was: right-click on the update link displayed from signal. this downloads it to the downloads folder. then 'open with' on that link with vivaldi. this did finally update the signal app.

i find this a relatively serious UX issue: not being able to upgrade when the old version says it's 'expired' ?!

[williamtheaker]

I was able to update Signal on Debian by editing /etc/chromium.d/default-flags and temporarily commenting out the line containing "--disable-background-networking"
I then navigated to chrome://extensions/ and clicked "Update extensions now" which didn't work before commenting out the flag, making me think this is a Debian bug.

[scottnonnenberg]

Closing this, as Electron is our current delivery method.