Signal.app 1.25.3 on macOS 10.15 Beta can't be opened

[oschrenk]

• [ x] I have searched open and closed issues for duplicates

---

Bug Description

Can't open Signal Desktop app 1.25.3 on macOS 10.15 Beta. I get greeted with "The application “Signal.app” can’t be opened."

Steps to Reproduce

1. Download App
2. Open app
3. Get error message

Actual Result:

Dialog shown with ""The application “Signal.app” can’t be opened." "

Expected Result:

Signal.app should open

Screenshots

### Platform Info

Signal Version:

app 1.25.3

Operating System:

macOS 10.15 Beta (19A487m)

Linked Device Version:

Can't link, since App does not start

Link to Debug Log

Can't open debug log. Since app does not start

Looking through Console.app logs, and filtering for Signal.app I see

Non-fatal error enumerating at <private>, continuing: Error Domain=NSCocoaErrorDomain Code=260 "The file “PlugIns” couldn’t be opened because there is no such file." UserInfo={NSURL=PlugIns/ -- file:///Users/oliver/Applications/Signal.app/Contents/Frameworks/Signal%20Helper.app/Contents/, NSFilePath=/Users/oliver/Applications/Signal.app/Contents/Frameworks/Signal Helper.app/Contents/PlugIns, NSUnderlyingError=0x7f93d3214f40 {Error Domain=NSPOSIXErrorDomain Code=2 "No such file or directory"}}

[scottnonnenberg-signal]

How did you extract the .zip file? Could it be related to this bug? #3128

Also, it does look like there are some issues with electron-builder on Mac 10.15... electron-userland/electron-builder#3990

[oschrenk]

I tried multiple zip programs and every single one creates different errors

1. By default .zip are opened by Archive Utility (v 10.15) and while it extracts the archive it produced the error "Signal.app” can’t be opened."
2. Unarchiver.app (3.11.2) extracts without error message, but Signal.app can't be opened because "The file can’t be found."
3. Unarchiver.app (4.1.0) extracts without error message, but Signal.app can't be opened because "The file can’t be found."
4. CLI unzip (6.00 compiled on 8 June 2019) Can't extract the archive

Archive:  signal-desktop-mac-1.25.3.zip
  End-of-central-directory signature not found.  Either this file is not
  a zipfile, or it constitutes one disk of a multi-part archive.  In the
  latter case the central directory and zipfile comment will be found on
  the last disk(s) of this archive.
unzip:  cannot find zipfile directory in one of signal-desktop-mac-1.25.3.zip or
        signal-desktop-mac-1.25.3.zip.zip, and cannot find signal-desktop-mac-1.25.3.zip.ZIP, period.

5. ditto -x -k signal-desktop-mac-1.25.3.zip . (came with macOS, no specified version) extracts fine but creates ""The file can’t be found."" error dialog.

So I think the issue is electron-userland/electron-builder#3779 and not specifically macOS 10.15 related

[oschrenk]

OK.

What worked for me was to

wget "https://updates.signal.org/desktop/signal-desktop-beta-mac-1.22.0-beta.1.zip”
unzip signal-desktop-beta-mac-1.22.0-beta.1.zip

Open Signal beta.app, it will inform you of an update being available, let Signal, do that, it will upgrade to v1.25.3-beta.1 without any problem and you have finally Signal on your desktop.

[scottnonnenberg-signal]

@oschrenk Surprising. That ditto -c -k command works on that same zip on MacOS 10.14.5 (18F132). And it's the same extraction technique used by our autoupdate infrastructure, so I'm surprised any of it works for you.

[ge]

I have the same problem with the zip file:

$ curl -o https://updates.signal.org/desktop/signal-desktop-mac-1.25.3.zip
  % Total    % Received % Xferd  Average Speed   Time    Time     Time  Current
                                 Dload  Upload   Total   Spent    Left  Speed
100 98.9M  100 98.9M    0     0  8680k      0  0:00:11  0:00:11 --:--:-- 8812k

$ ls -l
total 230008
-rw-r--r--  1 ge  staff  103761345 Jul 10 12:00 signal-desktop-mac-1.25.3.zip

$ unzip signal-desktop-mac-1.25.3.zip
Archive:  signal-desktop-mac-1.25.3.zip
  End-of-central-directory signature not found.  Either this file is not
  a zipfile, or it constitutes one disk of a multi-part archive.  In the
  latter case the central directory and zipfile comment will be found on
  the last disk(s) of this archive.
unzip:  cannot find zipfile directory in one of signal-desktop-mac-1.25.3.zip or
        signal-desktop-mac-1.25.3.zip.zip, and cannot find signal-desktop-mac-1.25.3.zip.ZIP, period.

$ ls -l
total 230008
drwxrwxr-x  3 ge  staff         96 Jun 28 10:37 Signal.app
-rw-r--r--  1 ge  staff  103761345 Jul 10 12:00 signal-desktop-mac-1.25.3.zip

$ open ./Signal.app/
LSOpenURLsWithRole() failed with error -10810 for the file /Users/ge/Downloads/signal.org/Signal.app.

$ open Signal.app/Contents/MacOS/Signal

This opens Textedit....

[scottnonnenberg-signal]

@ge Please try using the built-in MacOS extraction utility.

[ge]

@scottnonnenberg-signal, good suggestion. My post left out some things. You'll notice that I couldn't extract the Signal app using the command line. Then I suddenly show it - I had used the MacOS utility to extract it. Double-clicking on the app to start it gave me exactly the same error as running it from the command line. -10810

The point is that the zip file appears to be broken no matter how I unzipped it.

Hope it gets fixed soon! Thanks for paying attention!

[scottnonnenberg-signal]

If you want the lower-level error involved here, it has to do with symlinks. There are symlinks necessary for the application to start up successfully packaged in the zip. If your unzip utility doesn't like extra data added at the end, you get the first error (end-of-central directory). If your unzip directory doesn't properly deal with the symlinks, you get your second error on Signal Desktop startup.

Version of macOS are you running? My built-in ZIP extraction utility deals with that zip just fine, on macOS 10.14.5 (18F132).

[obejay]

OK.

What worked for me was to

wget "https://updates.signal.org/desktop/signal-desktop-beta-mac-1.22.0-beta.1.zip”
unzip signal-desktop-beta-mac-1.22.0-beta.1.zip

Open Signal beta.app, it will inform you of an update being available, let Signal, do that, it will upgrade to v1.25.3-beta.1 without any problem and you have finally Signal on your desktop.

This worked for me as well. I did not use Terminal however. I just downloaded an older version (https://updates.signal.org/desktop/signal-desktop-1.22.0.zip) from Safari. When I opened it, it prompted me to update and violà! It updated to 1.25.3 and works properly.

Before that worked however, 1.25.3 seemed to unzip properly using GUI, but, once unzipped, wouldn't open (as mentioned by OP). Trying to unzip it via Terminal returns this message:

cannot find zipfile directory

[ge]

@obejay I downloaded signal-desktop-mac-1.25.3. Is it advisable to use an older version? (I'm a Signal newbie).

Oh! Now I see the rest of your message! Clever trick. I'll try it! Thanks!

[ge]

@obejay It seems to be working!

[obejay]

@obejay I downloaded signal-desktop-mac-1.25.3. Is it advisable to use an older version? (I'm a Signal newbie).

I mean... probably not, but Signal updates updates itself before you even link it to your phone. So *shrugs*. My biggest paranoia was possibly downloading a fraudulent copy somehow. But the link resolved from their server, even though I couldn't see the directory. So they are obviously still hosting the older versions.

Oh! Now I see the rest of your message! Clever trick. I'll try it! Thanks!

Thank @oschrenk, @ge. It was his clever idea! ;)

@obejay It seems to be working!

Awesome!

[ge]

@obejay Uh oh! Signal 1.22.0-beta.1 runs, but I can't get it to prompt me to update it.

Any clues as to what I can do?

Thanks again,
ge

[obejay]

@obejay Uh oh! Signal 1.22.0-beta.1 runs, but I can't get it to prompt me to update it.

Any clues as to what I can do?

Try a non-beta version? This is the one I used: https://updates.signal.org/desktop/signal-desktop-1.22.0.zip

[Armitage35]

Thanks a lot for your help! Signal now works again for me :)

[fsmeets]

FWIW, letting the app update itself didn't work for me. Actually it's not all that difficult to make it work. It appears that the symlinks aren't extracted correctly (or aren't added to the archive correctly) and the binaries aren't executable, with the following commands you can make Signal as extracted from the 1.26.2 zip file work:

cd /Applications/Signal.app/Contents/Frameworks/Electron\ Framework.framework/Versions
rm Current
ln -s A Current
cd ../../Mantle.framework/Versions/
rm Current
ln -s A Current
cd ../../ReactiveCocoa.framework/Versions/
rm Current
ln -s A Current
cd ../../Squirrel.framework/Versions/
rm Current
ln -s A Current
cd ..
rm Headers Modules Resources Squirrel
ln -s Versions/Current/Headers
ln -s Versions/Current/Modules
ln -s Versions/Current/Resources
ln -s Versions/Current/Squirrel
cd ../ReactiveCocoa.framework/
rm Headers Modules ReactiveCocoa Resources
ln -s Versions/Current/Headers
ln -s Versions/Current/Modules
ln -s Versions/Current/ReactiveCocoa
ln -s Versions/Current/Resources
cd ../Mantle.framework/
rm Headers Mantle Modules Resources
ln -s Versions/Current/Headers
ln -s Versions/Current/Mantle
ln -s Versions/Current/Resources
ln -s Versions/Current/Modules
cd ../Electron\ Framework.framework
rm Electron\ Framework Resources
ln -s Versions/Current/Electron\ Framework
ln -s Versions/Current/Resources
cd /Applications/Signal.app/Contents/Frameworks/Signal\ Helper.app
chmod +x Contents/MacOS/Signal\ Helper
cd /Applications/Signal.app/
chmod +x Contents/MacOS/Signal

After this you need to do the usual security dance, allow the app in security settings and confirm a 2nd time that you really want to start it.

[scottnonnenberg-signal]

@fsmeets Those kinds of post-extract operations shouldn't be required. What tool did you use to unzip the app? Also, where's your log from the failed automatic app update? We need logs to help track down and fix these issues!

[josh64x2]

@scottnonnenberg-signal I'm getting this issue on a fresh install of macOS 10.15 beta 6 using the standard macOS Archive Utility.app to extract.
The versions after 1.22.0 (non-beta versions) are unable to be opened.

Version 1.22.0 is able to be opened and then allowed to update itself as a workaround.

[jeffypooo]

Also encountering this with both stable and beta releases.

macOS Catalina 10.15 Beta (19A546d)

[jeffypooo]

Confirming @josh64x2 workaround works.

[jetienne]

It seems https://updates.signal.org/desktop/signal-desktop-1.22.0.zip is not accessible anymore, so the workaround doesn't work for me...

[josh64x2]

@jetienne you'll need to use the link of https://updates.signal.org/desktop/signal-desktop-mac-1.22.0.zip

[jetienne]

@josh64x2 Thanks a lot. The trick is to install this version and leave the app open so there is an automatic update. At first, I was clicking on the header appearing on the app after install, mentioning this version has expired, but I was redirecting to the signal download web page and of course it did not solve the issue.

[rex4539]

The trick that worked for me was to download the dmg instead of the zip...

[scottnonnenberg-signal]

Yes, if you're having problems with this, you can go to https://signal.org/download, grab the URL for Signal Desktop for Mac, then change .zip to .dmg. Please let us know if that works for you!

[CoreData]

Yes, if you're having problems with this, you can go to https://signal.org/download, grab the URL for Signal Desktop for Mac, then change .zip to .dmg.

I tried this on 19A558d and it worked for me.

[nerdyminutes]

Encountering same issues as @oschrenk - Extracting with Keka worked for me.

[scottnonnenberg-signal]

https://signal.org/download now points to .dmg files. I'm going to close this.

[pixelsign]

This persists to 1.31.0 Any updates on that?

Signal was working just fine before catalina. On the second I opened it after the update it was giving me this message. I cleared all data and it didn't work. I deleted and reinstalled the app with the newest available .dmg file from the website. Did not work. This is the only app that is not working on my mac.

[scottnonnenberg-signal]

@pixelsign The screenshot you've posted looks very different from the others up-thread. Please enter a new bug and be sure to provide debug logs (View -> Debug Log).