Signal-desktop: Sometimes the message in the preview isn't visible in the chat, and the scroll arrow refuses to go away

[Dyras]

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

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Bug Description

I've noticed on several occasions that the "scroll to bottom" arrow appears when I start Signal-Desktop and click a chat. The message at the bottom doesn't match the last written message in the chat preview, so I guess the last message is just invisible to me.

Steps to Reproduce

1. Receive messages when your Signal-Desktop is offline
2. Start Signal-Desktop
3. Look at the preview. Notice the message written.
4. Click the chat. If the bug happens, it should show "2 unread messages" yet only 1 message will be shown. The message in the preview is invisible, and only the first of the 2 messages can be shown in the chat.
5. Scroll up and look for the message. It's truly nowhere to be found.
6. Write a message. Notice that this message isn't shown in the chat, either.
7. Close Signal and open it again. The message will now be shown properly.

Actual Result:

Some messages aren't visible in the chat, only in the preview

Expected Result:

Messages are always shown in the chat list

Screenshots

Notice how I'm at the bottom of the chat, yet the "scroll to bottom" arrow is shown. It says "2 unread messages" but only 1 message is shown. If I scroll up and click the "scroll to bottom" arrow, I'm forced to the bottom of the chat but the message still isn't shown and the arrow is still there.

Platform Info

Latest beta on both Android and Windows 10
Windows 10 is fully updated
Android 10 is fully updated

Link to Debug Log

https://debuglogs.org/0de8ea37e26d877ac0a4b222e4f45f683062ececcc5029c4f66238c001adbee8

[Dyras]

Related https://github.com/signalapp/Signal-Desktop/issues/3872
Except I don't hibernate or deep sleep, it's like this when I actually open the program after the computer has previously been completely turned off.

[scottnonnenberg-signal]

I notice that you're on the latest Beta v1.30.0-beta.5, which should make this less likely. Has it happened since you updated today?

[Dyras]

Hasn't happened yet on this version, no. But this happens so rarely anyway that I can't really say whether it has been completely fixed or not.

I'll keep you updated if it happens again.

[Dyras]

@scottnonnenberg-signal
Happened again!
https://debuglogs.org/bd4284040274b61acaa83a3cb23ea42e057618ba0fe935673cddbd7e66656396

[scottnonnenberg-signal]

Sadly, there isn't much information about that in the logs. The more information you can provide, the better. Was the app loading messages as you opened the conversation? When this happened, did you return from sleep, or launch the app afresh? Does it happen reliably if you switch away and come back? What if you close the app and come back to that conversation?

[Dyras]

@scottnonnenberg-signal
I had the app closed, and I opened it after roughly an hour of inactivity
INFO 2020-01-17T00:04:31.362Z Sending a keepalive message
INFO 2020-01-17T01:01:31.238Z app ready
INFO 2020-01-17T01:01:31.239Z starting version 1.30.0-beta.5
So, I opened it afresh.
If I close the app and then reopen it when this happens, it all works.
It also works if I switch from one chat to another.

[Dyras]

Happened again on MacOS.
I start my slowpoke Macbook Unibody and I open Signal 10 minutes or so after the computer is done logging in. Then it happens immediately.

https://debuglogs.org/444eca8369fe5d4a915f9174854355c9f8bd3836efed905422d5ad11603d2618

[ryancwalsh]

I'm on, Windows 10, and this bug (or one similar to it?) has been happening for me pretty frequently.

If I get a Signal message on iOS but then would prefer to check it on Win 10, I find that when I open Signal (from being closed, not just minimized), sometimes the "down" arrow in the bottom right (and the scrollbar) won't let me scroll all the way down to the most recent message.

If I close Signal and re-open, and sometimes the 1-on-1 conversation will then be fully scrollable all the way to the bottom.

[sirius-c]

I observe a similar behaviour on Linux desktop, Signal V1.30.

After starting the computer, I see all messages in a conversation. Then I write some messages in the desktop application, but cannot see. The 'scroll down' arrow, that indicates I am not at the end of the conversation, appears, but nothing happens when clicking.

The messages have actually been sent, as I can see when I open the Android app.

If I close and restart Signal on desktop, the messages also appear.

For now I cannot say if that happens each time I start the desktop program.

Debug log from the desktop: https://debuglogs.org/6b8992359222d5dd841db771fb5527ebab1883875d72566e591e002438c13acd

[Dyras]

Happened again.

Opened Signal and it happened when I opened the chat. No hibernation, etc involved.

https://debuglogs.org/2f1b64384b21cd6290b4b07b1ce9a4b6d400e4c110dc859c3187b1b92d262489

[scottnonnenberg-signal]

Good news - we believe we have a fix for this. It will go out in the next beta release.

[Dyras]

@scottnonnenberg-signal
This just happened for me, except there was no scroll down arrow. It just said "2 new messages" and then only 1 message was visible.

And if you're wondering, I scrolled up and look for the message and I couldn't find it. So I switched to another contact and then back to the original contact and the message appeared.

It happened when I started Signal on my desktop after having been chatting maybe 15 messages on my phone while I was out during the day. So no hibernate or anything like that.

[scottnonnenberg-signal]

@Dyras When this happened, what did you see in the left pane? Was there anything interesting about the missing message?

[Dyras]

@scottnonnenberg-signal
It looked like any other message. It was the message below the "okej" message so the preview wasn't the same as "okej"

Here's a log:
https://debuglogs.org/4b64fc48306cb95d9e3b7c65acc4b12f72cdb2524f64cafba96b8856867e8c02

The message I received that didn't show up was "har du också problem med att bilder inte visas här?"
Sent: 1581107333279
Received: 1581107359993

[Dyras]

A month later, it happened again. Just opened Signal-Desktop and three messages aren't visible

https://debuglogs.org/dd0b0c75ab3d728bf4b0ecfdd65176504834d1d59b831d4cc901d68f32c588e0

[kenpowers-signal]

Hi, @Dyras. Can you send us the "sent ids" of the missing messages? You can get the sent ids of the missing messages by going to the message detail screen on your primary mobile device (long press on the message) and then long press on the "sent" header -- that will place the sent id on your clipboard.

[Dyras]

@kenpowers-signal
1583791571653
1583793722137
1583796361743

I think those are the three messages I didn't receive.

[scottnonnenberg-signal]

@Dyras And, to be crystal clear, was the most recent message in the preview in the left pane, but not in the conversation? When you sent a message in that conversation after that happened, did your new message appear?

[Dyras]

@scottnonnenberg-signal The most recent message was in the left pane, yes.

I didn't try sending a message in that conversation after noticing it. I closed Signal and started it again, after fetching the log.

However, I've noticed in the past that sending a message does indeed cause it to show up in the chat. I can confirm this the next time this happens.

[rainerzufall]

Just happend to me (again)... after a fresh start of Signal Desktop

to be crystal clear, was the most recent message in the preview in the left pane, but not in the conversation?

yes! exactly that! and i could not scoll down any more. (screenshot 1)

When you sent a message in that conversation after that happened, did your new message appear?

the message in question seems to be gone, but my message appears! (screenshot 2)

clicking on another conversation and coming back to this conversation brings the message (which was not visbible oin the first place) back and sorts it in correctly. (screenshot 3)

Illustration:

1. debug log message (in red) not visible - although two unread messages
   

1. sending the test message, message in question not visible, but my test message
   

2. after clicking on an other conversation and back to this conversation the message is visible
   

ID of message which was not displayed in the beginning
Gesendet | Freitag, 10. April 2020 21:36 (1586547412417)
-- | --
Empfangen | Freitag, 10. April 2020 21:42 (1586547768479)

debug log: https://debuglogs.org/16296fe0187cbdd425cd2225ef6f9600900f3f4934e242c96db6d81f2beadf82

SignalBeta/1.33.0-beta.5

[Nisc3d]

It happened to a friend of mine today on Windows 10, Signal 1.37.3. She sent a message (ID: 1605476937624) to a group and then it wouldn't scroll down. She sent another message (ID: 1605476959719) but it still didn't work. The down arrow also didn't work. The preview on the left showed the most recent message. A restart solved this issue.

Here is the debug Log: https://debuglogs.org/0bd771810058f8b71e8304c1cb5b3b9b66a2ca4237cef11c5ab017bad5cb9eea
I hope this helps.

[Nisc3d]

Now it happened to me. I started Signal Desktop and had 2 unread messages in a V2 Group.
First message (a message with a link and link preview):

Second message:

I clicked in the conversation and sent this message:

And I noticed it doesn't scroll down and the last displayed message was still the one from my friend and not my message. In the preview on the left side my message was displayed. The down arrow didn't work.

Then I sent another message:

The issue still was there. It didn't scroll down and the last displayed message in the chat was the one from my friend. The preview on the left side had the most recent message I sent. I changed conversations and then it was scrolled down and I could see my messages.

Signal Desktop 1.38.1 on Linux.
https://debuglogs.org/db94f40a041da07a71f5377e4577cebf6c5acba008418c17ddd092aacb9f4f14