Messages do not get decrypted from Key Storage

[cyrneko]

Describe the bug

When verifying the device via the Recovery Key, past messages do not get decrypted with the following message shown in the Show Source option:

Unable to decrypt: DecryptionError: This message was sent before this device logged in. Key backup is working, but we still do not (yet) have the key.

Despite having waited for the backup to finish restoring in the settings...the keys were never actually restored and past history cannot be accessed.

Reproduction

1. Login with Cinny
2. Do device verification through a recovery key
3. Past messages are not decrypted

Expected behavior

Past messages should be decrypted with the keys it should have from key storage.

Platform and versions

1. OS: Void Linux (rolling)
2. Browser: Tauri/Desktop (Flatpak/Flathub.org), Firefox 135 (Void package), Ungoogled Chromium (Flatpak/Flathub.org)
3. Cinny version: 4.3.0, `main` / `dev.cinny.in`
4. Matrix homeserver: thomcat.rocks

Additional context

Interestingly, in trying to debug this and re-logging, this time using another device to verify, and instead another issue (that I might file later if I can consistently reproduce it) occurred. Re-logging and verifying with another device lead to a different error:

** Unable to decrypt: DecryptionError: This message was sent before this device logged in, and key backup is not working. **

[kfiven]

Does the message decrypt on any other device?

[cyrneko]

Does the message decrypt on any other device?

It decrypts on all my other devices just fine. This behavior is exclusively observed in Cinny.

This includes Element X Android, SchildiChat Next and Fractal, all of which also use Vodozemac.

[ajbura]

How does the status of "Encryption Backup" look in Cinny UI? Is it connected or disconnected or are there any error shown in UI?

[cyrneko]

How does the status of "Encryption Backup" look in Cinny UI? Is it connected or disconnected or are there any error shown in UI?

It says it is connected.

[jman-schief]

Confirmed. Reloading the page or emptying the cache (from the "About" page) seems to solve temporarily

[cyrneko]

Update as of the time of writing:

On Cinny 4.3.2, AKA the patch that just released, this issue is massively improved, however messages from a few days back (14th of feb. in most rooms) still take a lot of time to eventually be decrypted.

@jman-schief it would be appreciated if you could try a clean login (e.g in another browser or a Firefox container-tab) on app.cinny.in and report whether the issue is as prevalent as before, and report back if you are experiencing something similar in regards to messages from a bit back not decrypting in time

[jman-schief]

@cyrneko 👋

I've tried and it seems to work for me:

• new login from another Firefox profile
• after login all messages in a e2ee room are UTD ("Unable To Decrypt")
• I verify the session with the security key, wait a few secs
• messages are now all readable (went back to ~2 months ago)

to be noted (if relevant) that I am not in any e2ee room with a lot of users/traffic, so message decryption takes just a few seconds.

For completeness: I am using FF 136.0b6 on Linux

EDIT: for even more completeness: self-hosting using synapse v1.124.0

[cyrneko]

Thanks for checking! I guess that confirms this is an issue on my end then, and with that I'll be closing this issue

Thanks everyone for taking the time!