"This app is blocked" and/or "Sign in with Google" temporarily disabled for this app

[erich13]

Before you report your issue, please consider perusing the https://github.com/jberkel/sms-backup-plus#faq and searching the issues page to see if it has already been reported.

Expected behaviour

Login to gmail, so that my SMS messages are backed up in Gmail account.

Actual behaviour

"Sign in with Google temporarily disabled for this app
This app has not been verified yet by Google in order to use Google Sign In"

Steps to reproduce the behaviour

Please specify the following:

• Android version: 9 (Baseband version J260AUCU6BTA4)
• Phone model / brand: Samsung
• SMS Backup+ version installed: 1.5.11
• Messaging app

[Boffice]

Same issue, is there a way to manually restore calls? I just did factory reset on my phone and lost all call logs

[scottf200]

Background:
Android version: 11
Phone model / brand: Pixel XL 2
SMS Backup+ version installed: 1.5.11 Messaging app

Same issue:
I had the browser workaround working via FireFox until the summer. I get this same error message. I installed MS Edge on my Pixel and have it has my default browser. I have signed in to both my gmail Google account as well a my general Google account in a couple of other tabs in Edge. I uninstall/reinstalled SMS Backup+ and followed the 'Connect' flow and it correctly brought up the Edge browser (since default) but I get the same message:

"Sign in with Google temporarily disabled for this app
This app has not been verified yet by Google in order to use Google Sign In"

Hmm:
Various comments in the play.google store show this worked for others in Oct and Nov. Wonder if something changed or I have different settings (Google account) on my phone than others.

[scottf200]

I'm using Google mail via IMAP. Google search for these keywords for a detailed article: androidpolice sms backup
Title: SMS Backup+ is now broken due to Gmail's API changes, but there's a workaround
Author: Ryne Hager Aug 12, 2019

[NitWitPea]

just sign in With edge. no imap or app passwords needed

[scottf200]

just sign in With edge. no imap or app passwords needed
From my post above: "I [was] signed in to both my gmail Google account as well as my general Google account in a couple of other tabs in Edge [prior to doing the 'connect' in SMS Backup+]"

I was signed in but still received. "Sign in with Google temporarily disabled for this app
This app has not been verified yet by Google in order to use Google Sign In"

[NitWitPea]

just sign in With edge. no imap or app passwords needed
From my post above: "I [was] signed in to both my gmail Google account as well as my general Google account in a couple of other tabs in Edge [prior to doing the 'connect' in SMS Backup+]"

I was signed in but still received. "Sign in with Google temporarily disabled for this app
This app has not been verified yet by Google in order to use Google Sign In"

You should be signed out. You should then choose connect in SMS backup, have Edge set as default, so it will open it up, then let you sign in. At least that's what's been working for most folks

[erich13]

Now I am getting this (see attached screenshot)

The context, is connecting SMS Backup+ to my Gmail account, on my Android phone, version 9, Build number PPR1.180610.011.J260AUCCS5BSK1

[scottf200]

Now I am getting this (see attached screenshot)
This app is blocked

It is unclear what method you are using to get access? MS Edge? IMAP? -- I'm currently using IMAP per above article mentioned but apparently some are using MS Edge OK now that FireFox stopped working. Tip above from NitWitPea is that you need to initially be signed out for MS Edge to work.

[erich13]

The context, is connecting SMS Backup+ to my Gmail account, on my Android phone, version 9, Build number PPR1.180610.011.J260AUCCS5BSK1

[NitWitPea]

The context, is connecting SMS Backup+ to my Gmail account, on my Android phone, version 9, Build number PPR1.180610.011.J260AUCCS5BSK1

Be signed out of google in any of your mobile browsers. Download Edge. Set edge as your default browser. download sms+ app or if you have it,clear data,and just open it. Hit the connect to google button. It should by default open up Edge, and allow the sign in. Even though it stopped working in july by Google, this method has somehow bypassed that (so no need to do IMAP or use app passwords blah blah). However, your mileage will vary. Try it and let us know

[kurahaupo]

To be clear, the only method currently supported by the app is using IMAP.

Unfortunately "temporarily disabled" means "until Google manually approves the app", which may take years.

Methods that rely on other apps to bypass enforcement of Android security policies are inherently fragile, and people should be ready to switch to IMAP when such loopholes are closed. References to such methods in any documentation (including issue descriptions) should be marked as obsolete.

(Just to be clear, I am mightily annoyed by Google's failure to approve SMS Backup+ as "an email app", but I can understand their reasoning.)

The requirement to use IMAP is highlighted in the FAQ, so unless the FAQ wording needs clarification, I will close this as a duplicate of the master ticket for this issue.

[NitWitPea]

To be clear, the only method currently supported by the app is using IMAP.

Unfortunately "temporarily disabled" means "until Google manually approves the app", which may take years.

Methods that rely on other apps to bypass enforcement of Android security policies are inherently fragile, and people should be ready to switch to IMAP when such loopholes are closed. References to such methods in any documentation (including issue descriptions) should be marked as obsolete.

(Just to be clear, I am mightily annoyed by Google's failure to approve SMS Backup+ as "an email app", but I can understand their reasoning.)

The requirement to use IMAP is highlighted in the FAQ, so unless the FAQ wording needs clarification, I will close this as a duplicate of the master ticket for this issue.

Hello, respectfully, IMAP is not the only way. I don't use it and have never used IMAP. The app worked fine for years until google made the change. But a month or so ago the only change I made to get things going again was to sign in using Edge browser. Its still working to this day.

If you look at the feedback/reviews for the app in the Google play store for this app, you'll see many many many people have used the Edge method, not IMAP

[amreggie]

New phone. Last backed up 3 days ago. Have tried everything including the Edge method. Either get same message repeatedly: "IMAP Authorization error. Make sure login and password are set correctly." or, If using direct from Gmail: "Error, could not get token from system." Have tried resetting, deleting app data. reinstalling, changing app password via Google account, etc. At wits end!
Anyone have any more ideas? Thx.

[mehmetgunacti]

The context, is connecting SMS Backup+ to my Gmail account, on my Android phone, version 9, Build number PPR1.180610.011.J260AUCCS5BSK1

Got the same error as in your screenshot. Followed steps described in this article, it works now. HTH

[amreggie]

Yes, thx, I had tried all those steps. What finally got it working last night was I had to uninstall the app from my old phone (No SIM card but did still have wireless connection if that is why the process could not be completed/ error msg?)

[TIIGRUS]

The context, is connecting SMS Backup+ to my Gmail account, on my Android phone, version 9, Build number PPR1.180610.011.J260AUCCS5BSK1

Got the same error as in your screenshot. Followed steps described in this article, it works now. HTH

Thank you, worked this.

[kurahaupo]

I wonder how long this "permission leaking" bug in Edge will persist, and how many apps will die when it's fixed?

The real mystery is how it gets involved as a proxy for access. If anyone can shed any light on this mechanism that would be appreciated.

According to Play Store, Edge currently has access to:

• Camera

  • take pictures and videos

• Contacts

  • find accounts on the device
  • read your contacts

• Microphone

  • record audio

• Device & app history

  • read your Web bookmarks and history

• Identity

  • find accounts on the device
  • add or remove accounts
  • read your own contact card

• Location

  • approximate location (network-based)
  • precise location (GPS and network-based)

• Wi-Fi connection information

  • view Wi-Fi connections

• Storage

  • read the contents of your USB storage
  • modify or delete the contents of your USB storage

• Photos / Media / Files

  • read the contents of your USB storage
  • modify or delete the contents of your USB storage

• Other

  • download files without notification
  • read sync statistics
  • receive data from Internet
  • run at startup
  • prevent device from sleeping
  • use accounts on the device
  • full network access
  • access Bluetooth settings
  • change your audio settings
  • write web bookmarks and history
  • change network connectivity
  • pair with Bluetooth devices
  • view network connections
  • reorder running apps
  • create accounts and set passwords
  • toggle sync on and off
  • control Near Field Communication
  • control vibration
  • control flashlight
  • read sync settings
  • install shortcuts

(Personally, I'm not happy installing a 3rd-party app and granting it such wide-ranging access to my device and accounts.)

[forumer]

I wonder how long this "permission leaking" bug in Edge will persist, and how many apps will die when it's fixed?

The real mystery is how it gets involved as a proxy for access. If anyone can shed any light on this mechanism that would be appreciated.

According to Play Store, Edge currently has access to:
...
(Personally, I'm not happy installing a 3rd-party app and granting it such wide-ranging access to my device and accounts.)

It's all very tenuous. As someone else mentioned in an earlier comment, this also used to work with Firefox for Android. In my past testing very few, if any, permissions were granted to Firefox at the time. I don't know the exact answer, but I don't think it's so much a leaking of application permissions. I suspect the Android OS/Google account permission API is by design using and thus trusting whatever the default/spawned web browser is on the Android device to handle parts of the OAuth transaction and that what we are seeing has to do with variations in the OAuth implementation within the browsers.

I always thought it interesting that Google Chrome (and presumably WebView?) on Android behaved in such a way as to break this flow (Google might say enforce?) with apps Google hadn't deemed worthy. I had considered that maybe Google was actually doing something "extra" in Chrome to break it while the other browsers were doing the more correct/generic thing. Or not. Maybe there is some sort of Google application ID whitelist that Chrome always honored but others did not?

Of course what really needs to be done is get SMS Backup+ blessed by Google so it can be officially allowed to authenticate to Gmail.

[Xuderis]

Until Google login is fixed, you can use IMAP.

https://www.androidpolice.com/2019/08/12/sms-backup-is-now-broken-due-to-gmails-api-changes-but-theres-a-workaround/