FAQ

🔐 If the secure channel creation never ends

Things to check first

If the creation of the secure channel never ends, here’s what you can do immediately, before you need to understand everything about how Olvid secure channels work.

  1. First of all, check directly with your contacts if they have lost or changed their Olvid ID, for example by changing device without restoring an Olvid backup or by uninstalling the app.

    In this case, you can delete their old Olvid ID from your contacts and reinvite their new ID.

  2. If this is not the case, you can try to recreate the secure channel with the contact from the contact details > Devices list.

  3. Then, if the secure channel creation still takes too long when both your devices are, for example, switched on simultaneously with the Olvid application open, it’s usually because one (or even both) of the devices remains unreachable and doesn’t receive Olvid message notifications.

    In this case, certain settings on the affected device prevent Olvid from receiving notifications or running in the background, such as airplane mode or “do not disturb”, for example.

    Follow the same troubleshooting procedure as if a device does not receive message or call notifications when connected to a network.

How Olvid secure channels work

Olvid must create a secure channel between your device(s) and those of your contacts before they can receive your messages. In the meantime, you can already write. Your first messages will be queued on your device and sent as soon as the secure channel is created.

The secure channel is created once and for all between the users’ devices on three occasions:

  • When a user adds a new contact.

  • When a user restores a backup of his Olvid profiles on a device. Secure channels are then recreated between his new device and those of all his Olvid contacts.

  • When a user starts using profiles on a second device. Secure channels are then recreated between his new device and all those of his Olvid contacts.

Normally, creating this secure channel only takes a few seconds. But sometimes it takes longer… And when it does, we’re usually in a situation where we risk waiting indefinitely (or almost).

This problem can occur when only one of the two users’ devices (you or your contact):

  • has lost or changed their Olvid identity (ID), by switching devices without restoring an Olvid backup, or by uninstalling the app.

    Then check with them directly if this is the case.

  • does not receive message or call notifications.

This problem mostly occurs in the beginning of using Olvid.

If users encounter problems with invitations or the creation of the secure channel, it is most often at the very beginning of their use of Olvid, or after a very long period, when problems of loss of Olvid IDs occur with other users.

On the other hand, “normal” messages between regular users always work.

In other words, at cruising speed, users no longer have any problems.

By exchanging messages with their existing contacts, they regularly relaunch Olvid, thereby unlocking all new invitations and notifications.