web.whatsapp.com - site is not usable

[rayshabh]

URL: https://web.whatsapp.com/

Browser / Version: Firefox 107.0
Operating System: Linux
Tested Another Browser: Yes Edge

Problem type: Site is not usable
Description: Page not loading correctly
Steps to Reproduce:
Whatsapp Web Page showing error: "Database error occurred on your browser", and again it goes into reload loop phase. Also, QR Code is never shown for login.

View the screenshot

Browser Configuration

• None

From webcompat.com with ❤️

[softvision-raul-bucata]

We appreciate your report. I was not able to reproduce the issue:

Tested with:

Browser / Version: Firefox Release 107.0 (64-bit)
Operating System: Ubuntu 20.4 LTS x64

@rayshabh Suggestion: Try clearing cache/data/cookies, disabling add-ons and Ad-blocker (if available) and extensions or use a clean profile, and check again? If there are any changes made to the default settings of the browser (e.g. in about:config) please revert to the default settings and try again. Also, have the required cookies been accepted for this page?

[qa_47/2022]

[rayshabh]

@softvision-raul-bucata
I've tried all your suggestions but didn't work.
I even tried checking the website in Troubleshoot Mode but same error: "Database error occurred on your browser".

[softvision-raul-bucata]

@rayshabh What I would do usually to test this kind of issue, is:

1. Type about:profiles in the url bar.
2. Choose Create a new profile.
3. Call it deleteme or anything you please.
4. Then start it. (this way you will be sure that nothing is interfering, no ghost caching etc.)
5. Test.

[inv_47/2022]

[rayshabh]

@softvision-raul-bucata Okay, I did exactly the same as you asked, and whatsapp web started working. But the moment I changed the privacy setting to run the Firefox in private mode and restarted, the whatsapp web page again starting showing error.
I think the problem is with running the browser in private mode. I also tried setting dom.indexedDB.privateBrowsing.enabled = true but it didnt work.

So, can you tell me how to run whatsapp web in private mode?

Note: I've tried whatsapp web in Microsoft Edge in Private Mode, and it works fine!

[wisniewskit]

@rayshabh , unfortunately this is a known issue where Firefox doesn't allow sites to use indexedDB in private mode yet, because unlike other browsers Firefox avoids writing any data to disk in its private mode.

We're working on a way to fix this by saving encrypted data to disk instead, but it's not going to be ready for a while (likely sometime next year).

In the meantime, if you're ok with Firefox writing such data to disk in private mode anyway, you can enable it via the about:config option dom.indexedDB.privateBrowsing.enabled (or use strict ETP mode instead of private browsing). There are other blocked APIs which write data to disk however, so this work-around may not be enough for all sites/cases.

I'll close this issue as a duplicate of the known issue, but feel free to comment if you'd like further info!

[rayshabh]

@rayshabh , unfortunately this is a known issue where Firefox doesn't allow sites to use indexedDB in private mode yet, because unlike other browsers Firefox avoids writing any data to disk in its private mode.

We're working on a way to fix this by saving encrypted data to disk instead, but it's not going to be ready for a while (likely sometime next year).

In the meantime, if you're ok with Firefox writing such data to disk in private mode anyway, you can enable it via the about:config option dom.indexedDB.privateBrowsing.enabled (or use strict ETP mode instead of private browsing). There are other blocked APIs which write data to disk however, so this work-around may not be enough for all sites/cases.

I'll close this issue as a duplicate of the known issue, but feel free to comment if you'd like further info!

Tried using with dom.indexedDB.privateBrowsing.enabled=true but still the same error.

[wisniewskit]

Unfortunately, that means they're probably relying on other APIs which are blocked, and we don't have an about:config setting for each of them :(

If you're ok with using strict mode instead of private browsing for sites like this (which is quite similar to private browsing except for the disk-writes and saving browsing history), that may be the only option until we get the encrypted storage project done.

[rayshabh]

Unfortunately, that means they're probably relying on other APIs which are blocked, and we don't have an about:config setting for each of them :(

If you're ok with using strict mode instead of private browsing for sites like this (which is quite similar to private browsing except for the disk-writes and saving browsing history), that may be the only option until we get the encrypted storage project done.

Okay, thanks anyway.