As of yesterday (04/13/2024), the Google sign-in no longer works reliably in the chat section. Attempting a sign-in yields the message āError in User API: 400. Bad Request. Please contact us if you think this is a server error.ā
After repeatedly trying to sign in for 10 minutes sporadically, it allowed me in. I also opened a different browser that I normally donāt use, and received the same error.
Clearing cookies also did not appear to change the result.
Other users in the chat are also reporting the issue, having to sign into Facebook to get around it.
Thanks for the reply, @tom.
I experienced the issue at 11:21PM last night (04/13), and again this morning after 7AM EDT. I was able to sign in at 7:29AM. However, when I tried signing in on a different browser on my phone and again on a separate device, I was met with the same error.
Iāve discovered this morning that after encountering the error, switching from my local Wifi to T-Mobile LTE allows for a temporary fix. The same applies vice versa, error on the LTE network resolved by connecting to WiFi and signing in again.
I just switched over to a VPN service to sign in on my desktop, and it signed me in with no problem. Switched back off the VPN and the sign-in is still valid. Very odd. Itās acting as if itās blacklisting or rejecting fresh sign-ins with IP addresses that have been used recently.
Google did change the sign-in page last week, which did cause some issues with usernames associated with a Google sign-in no longer being available, and defaulting to whatever oneās Google screen name is.
FYI - WZBC has been experiencing this issue intermittently since at least April 12. Many listeners had to give up their anonymity this morning in a busy chatspace because their former aliases were not working and could not be reset. Just posting so others will know itās affecting many stations. Not just yours
Yes, I know, it sucks. We have narrowed the issue down to a failure to verify JWT signatures deep in the libraries we use to handle the cryptography required by Google. Weāre able to observe these failures but as of today we donāt understand why they are failing or what should be changed. Weāre going to have to learn how the cryptography is supposed to work in some detail before we can sort it out. So thatās where weāre at with that.
At the same time we started testing chat login using PassKeys, which uses your phone or computer device to log in without a password. So far it works for one device but we need to extend it so you can authorize logins from other devices too.
About the nickname (alias) feature. We changed the Google authentication to a completely new process behind the scenes two weeks ago (around Apr 6 2024). Users who sign in to chat with their Google identity after that date for the first time do not get their old nickname transferred over (sorry). At that point can set a new nickname.
To set a nickname, click 1 the cog (settings) button to open the nickname form, enter a 2 nickname, if it is allowed click 3 Use.
But in general you canāt use anyoneās old nickname until it has been unused for over a month, and that applies also to your old nickname from before the Google auth update Apr 6). So in another couple of weeks (roughly) you should be able change nickname to the old one you used.
NOTE: this nickname is a separate issue from the 400-error logging in.
No issues so far, having logged in on my home WiFi (which hasnāt changed its public facing IP address) and LTE with no problems. I will keep an eye out in case anything happens over the next day or two.
