openai / openai/codex

Android Remote pairing fails on two Windows PCs after removing the phone from Linked Devices

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app bug remote windows-os
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Description

What version of the Codex App are you using (From “About Codex” dialog)?

ChatGPT Android app version: 1.2026.209、- ChatGPT desktop app package observed in logs: OpenAI.Codex_26.803.5235.0_x64

What subscription do you have?

I am unable to pair the ChatGPT Android app with either of my two Windows PCs using Remote. The issue started immediately after I removed my phone from Settings > Links / Linked Devices on the desktop app. Before removing it, the same Android phone had successfully connected to both PCs.

What platform is your computer?

No response

What issue are you seeing?

Hello ,

I am unable to pair the ChatGPT Android app with either of my two Windows PCs using Remote. The issue started immediately after I removed my phone from Settings > Links / Linked Devices on the desktop app. Before removing it, the same Android phone had successfully connected to both PCs.

User-visible error

After scanning a newly generated QR code in the Android ChatGPT app, the phone displays:

Pairing failed. Something went wrong while pairing. Please scan the QR code again.

Environment
  • Mobile device: Android [manufacturer/model]
  • Android version: [version]
  • ChatGPT Android app version: 1.2026.209
  • Desktop OS: Windows [version]
  • ChatGPT desktop app package observed in logs: OpenAI.Codex_26.803.5235.0_x64
  • Affected computers: two separate Windows PCs
  • Account/workspace: the same account and workspace are used on mobile and desktop
Steps to reproduce
  1. Sign in to the same ChatGPT account on Android and Windows.
  2. On Windows, open Settings > Set up mobile / Remote.
  3. Select Start setup, approve the prompt, and generate a new QR code.
  4. Immediately scan the new QR code using the ChatGPT Android app.
  5. The Android app recognizes the QR code but reports the pairing failure above.
  6. The Windows desktop app never lists the phone as a connected Remote client.
Expected result

The Android device should be registered again and appear as a connected Remote device on the Windows PC.

Actual result

The Android app reports a pairing failure, and the desktop connection count remains zero.

Trigger and scope
  • The phone originally paired successfully with both PCs.
  • I then removed the phone from the desktop app's linked-device settings.
  • Since that deletion, the same phone cannot pair with either PC.
  • This affects both PCs, which suggests the common failure point may be the Android device identity or an account-side Remote device revocation/registration record rather than one PC.
Troubleshooting already completed
  • Reinstalled the Android ChatGPT app multiple times.
  • Signed out and signed back in.
  • Re-authenticated the Windows desktop login using the approval notification sent to the same Android phone.
  • Generated and scanned multiple fresh QR codes immediately.
  • Verified that ordinary ChatGPT conversations and account authentication work.
  • Verified that the desktop Remote service can be enabled.
  • Verified that the desktop can successfully request new pairing sessions.
  • Confirmed the same behavior on two separate Windows PCs.

Before and after the scans, the desktop state remained:

  • connectionCount=0
  • nextConnectionCount=0
  • creationFailureCount=0

The desktop logs do not show a successful mobile claim/registration event after scanning. This suggests that QR generation succeeds but the Android claim/registration step does not complete.

Assistance requested

Could you please:

  1. Check the server-side Remote pairing/claim requests associated with the timestamps above.
  2. Check whether the deleted Android device has a stale revocation, tombstone, device credential, or registration record on my account.
  3. Reset or clear the account-side Remote/linked-device registration state if appropriate, so the Android device can be paired again.
  4. Confirm whether deleting a linked mobile device is expected to block re-pairing, or whether this is a known issue.
  5. Let me know which Android diagnostic logs or identifiers are safe and useful to provide.
What steps can reproduce the bug?

Feedback ID: 019fabb5-267d-71b0-9127-23718c11f795

What is the expected behavior?

No response

Additional information

No response

Contributor guide

Open the contributing guide

First steps

  1. Read the whole issue, then the project's contributing guide.
  2. Comment on the issue to say you are picking it up — it saves two people doing the same work.
  3. Fork the repository and make your change on a branch.
  4. Open a pull request that references the issue number.

Research direction

Reproduce the failure from Windows Settings > Set up mobile / Remote by generating a QR code and scanning it in the Android app. Start with the server-side Remote pairing/claim requests and the desktop logs around the scan, including connectionCount and registration events. Done means the device can be registered again and appears as a connected Remote client.

Written by the indexing model from the issue text.

Assessment

Tech stack
android
Domain
authentication, mobile-dev
Issue type
Bug
Difficulty
4/5
Estimated time
3-5 days
Activity status
Active
Clarity
Mostly clear
Newbie friendliness
35/100

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