Can no longer log in to Pokemon Go, how best to diagnose?

SwifterVoltage

Hi all,

Hoping for a bit of help if possible, thanks in advance for anyone who chips in.

Quick summary - can't log in to Pokemon Go app any more, how to figure out where the problem's happening?

Detail:

Until a few weeks ago, I was using Pokemon Go successfully (for months) in a separate user profile with sandboxed Google Play Services.
Recently I was asked to log in to it again, and the login process (using a Pokemon Trainer Club account) now keeps failing.
The Pokemon Trainer account I'm using to log in works when I log in directly to the Pokemon Trainer Club website, so there doesn't seem to be a problem with my credentials.
It seems to be a problem with the browser that's doing the logging in communicating with the Pokemon Go app - when I opt to log in with a Pokemon Trainer Club, the app opens the Pokemon Trainer Club website in an instance of Vanadium. I enter my credentials there, then it just spins until the Pokemon Go app says the login's failed.
I've tried also using Fennec and Chromium as the default browser app and using them to log in, with no change in the outcome.
I've tried dealing with Pokemon Go support, but they're about as useful as you'd expect - update your app, clear your cache, make sure GPS is working, etc., all of which I've done before contacting them.
Is there a way for me to see what's going on in the background? Would I expect to be able to see specific communications between Vanadium and Pokemon Go authorising the login?

Thanks!

other8026

SwifterVoltage I'm unsure how you can troubleshoot this issue, but I have one idea that may hopefully help.

It's possible that after logging in the website is trying to redirect you to Pokemon Go, but maybe Pokemon Go isn't set up to handle those links. You can try adding or enabling them to see if that helps.

Settings > Apps > All apps > Pokemon Go > Open by default

From there, make sure the toggle for "open supported links" is set to on. Also, try tapping "Add link" and check the checkboxes there. After that, try logging in again.

SwifterVoltage

Thanks other8026, good pointer. There was already one link Pokemon Go was set up to handle, and three more as options. That gave me hope, but unfortunately it didn't fix the problem.

It has started me on another track though - if I could see exactly what Vanadium is trying to do, there might be another link I find I need to set to open with Pokemon Go.

It looks like I might need to examine the system logs for that, and it looks like I'd need to use adb.
I'll look in to that and see how I go, thanks again!

(If anyone has any easier ways to see what URLs Vanadium is navigating to, please let me know.)

other8026

SwifterVoltage It looks like I might need to examine the system logs for that, and it looks like I'd need to use adb.

You should be able to see logs here Settings > Apps > All apps > Vanadium > View logs. No need for ADB anymore.

It's also possible that others running the Stock OS are having this issue, so make sure Pokemon Go is up to date. Based on what you've described so far, I can't imagine how this would be an issue specific to GrapheneOS.

SwifterVoltage

Thanks again, very useful.

Unfortunately it looks like the Vanadium logs don't include the URLs being hit. It looks like I might be able to view the Chrome (and so hopefully Vanadium) dev console if I plug it in to my PC, will give that a shot.

I thought maybe it might be using the Vanadium WebView instead, but its logs show no activity when trying to log in to Pokemon Go, so presumably not.

It also looks like I can't set arbitrary links to open by default in an Android app, only those that were specified by the developer, so even if I find another URL I'm not sure if I could use it.

Will keep digging!

Eury

How about using a firewall app to monitor live the inbound/outbound communications to see if you can better identify what is going on. Using RethinkDNS, that's what I did during the initial run of an app for an ISP that generally speaking has poor privacy policies; I could then block outbound communications to x2 data brokers. TrackerControl is another comparable well-regarded firewall app.

Eury

Also, does Pokemon Go rely on Google Maps? When I recently installed an app for a drone, based on what I've had time so far to figure out I needed to install Google Play Services with network connection enabled.

See someone else's recent experience:
https://discuss.grapheneos.org/d/10969-google-maps-without-play-services-stopped-working

Eury

One more idea. Are you using a VPN? For a time I could not log in to my ISP account by app or web browser. Since my cellphone carrier has a terrible privacy policy, disabling the VPN is not something I'm willing to consider.
The solution I reached: I have an additional Pixel w/ GrapheneOS that will only ever be used with a prepaid SIM card purchased with cash with no real identifying information attached to the prepaid service. I created a GrapheneOS profile on it w/o a VPN and am now able to log in to my ISP account by app and by web browser.

SwifterVoltage

Solved....rather embarrassingly, I hadn't checked the Google Play Services permissions (though I thought I did). Turns out they'd all been switched off somehow. Turning Network back on has fixed the problem.

Thanks @other8026 and @Eury for your time, your inputs eventually led me to the solution. Really appreciated.

For posterity:

I run Pokemon Go in a separate user profile with sandboxed Google services.
I'd been avoiding Reddit for the last few months, but @other8026 your comment about others probably having the same problem lead me to give it a shot. I came across this post with several people mentioning they'd been having trouble logging in around the same time as mine started (around 2 months ago):
https://www.reddit.com/r/TheSilphRoad/comments/18gtbyu/trainer_club_issue/
None of the solutions mentioned there worked (clear cache & data, reinstall app, rest password, etc.).

Eventually the combination of Kagi and Reddit lead me to this post:
https://www.reddit.com/r/TheSilphRoad/comments/1ah6ca3/pokemon_go_unable_to_authenticate_when_login/

Someone in there mentioned that the Google Play Store was now required for Pokemon Go.
While going in to the settings to enable it, I checked the Google Play Services permissions and found they were all switched off. Not sure how, I'm 99% sure I didn't do it.
Before I did anything with the Google Play Store, I tried turning on Network permissions for Google Play Services and launching Pokemon Go. And was very surprised when it worked.
Checking my Google Play Store permissions, Network, Location and Sensors were allowed. Turning them all off prevented me from signing back in. Enabling only Network allowed me to log in.
So, currently Pokemon Go on a GrapheneOS phone appears to need sandboxed Google Play Services with Network permission, and sandboxed Google Play Store with Network permission.

@Eury I use a VPN on my main profile, and had managed to use Pokemon Go for a time using IVPN, but only with certain servers. I've now switched to AirVPN but haven't yet found a server that Pokemon Go will allow, so currently run it without a VPN.

Cheers all, hopefully this helps if anyone else has the same problem.

Ammako

For future reference: the log in using Pokémon Trainer Club also requires enabling cross-origin referrer in Vanadium. If cross-origin referrer is disabled, the login page doesn't know you came from the app, and doesn't return the login back to the app.

Ammako

Correction: cross-origin referrer wasn't actually the problem. The problem was opening links in private tab. Disable that, and the login will be redirected correctly (regardless of cross-origin referrer settings.)