Android app cannot add Google Drive as provider - error 403

JLB

A few days ago I temporarily deleted my Android device so I could register a new PC on Boxcryptor while keeping my old PC registered. Once that was ok I removed the old PC. When I reloaded the Android app version 2.59.575 on my Android device and tried to make Google Drive the provider it would not work. All I get is an error 403 notification:

"This user-agent is not permitted to make an OAuth authorization request to Google as it is classified as an embedded user-agent (also known as web-view). Per our policy, only browsers are permitted to make authorization requests to Google. We offer several libraries and samples for native apps to perform authorization requests in the browser."

Then the error message provides a link to a long post on Google Developers Blog: "Modernizing OAuth interactions in Native Apps for Better Usability and Security - Mon August 16 2016"

That suggests to me this problem has been warned about for a long time. I have tried uninstalling and reinstalling but the same error repeats every time.

If there is no fix I cannot use Boxcryptor any more.

JLB

Since posting the above I have found other instances of people running into exactly this problem with other apps that generate the same error message, e.g.

http://becomethesolution.com/blogs/iphone/google-error-disallowed-useragent-403-ios
https://blog.cloudrail.com/solving-disallowed_useragent-for-google-services/
https://stackoverflow.com/questions/40591090/403-error-thats-an-error-error-disallowed-useragent#40605255

According to the advice on those sites Boxcryptor will only be usable with Android from now on when the app is fixed.

"This is a problem the app developer will need to fix and address. The application you are using is trying to make a login request but is not being identified as an authorize browser agent (or is now using a depreciated bowser agent). You will need to let the app developer know this directly..."

RonIronsmith

Hi JLB

I installed last night Boxcryptor for Android on my HTC smartphone (Android-Version 4.4.2) and Samsung Tablet (Android-Version 6.0.1), on my Tablet it was not possible to map Google Drive as provider (error 403 notification), but on my HTC smartphone it worked with any problems.

I agree with you, that seems to be an issue to be fixed asap for the Boxcryptor developer team ...

Ron

Edit:
I informed direct the support team support@boxcryptor.com

Boris

Hi all

To solve the issue please set Google Chrome as your default browser. After that you will be able to add Google Drive within Boxcryptor. This is a new policy of Google which forces app developers to make use of Google Chrome to authenticate to Google services like Google Drive.

After you have authenticated to Google Drive you can again choose your favorite browser app as default.

Nevertheless this is currently a workaround and we have already found a solution so that you don't have to make Google Chrome your default browser to authenticate. For this solution we have to release a new Boxcryptor version. This version will be released within the next few weeks.

Best regards
Boris

RonIronsmith

Hello Boris

It works like a charm ... thank you for your very quick responde

Best regards
Ron

JLB

Hi Boris
The workaround was effective for me too, thanks. It's good to have that sorted.
JLB

mrbatch

Hi,

I have latest boxcryptor on a google chrome book and get this problem trying to link my boxcryptor to use Google Drive. Pretty sure on a google chrome book that chrome is the only browser . Any idea how i can get it to see and use my Google drive box cryptor files please.
running 2.59.575 on chrome book

Thanks in advance

Boris

Hi mrbatch

On Google Chrome Books this workaround is currently not working. Here you have to wait for the next release which will solve the issue.

Best regards
Boris