Windows Remote: QR pairing succeeds but Android clients cannot establish session (`nextConnectionCount=0`) on 26.818.31338

What version of the Codex App are you using?

26.818.31338

The app was updated through Codex on the morning of 2026-08-21. No further update is currently offered.

Platform

Windows host (exact Windows edition/build not captured in this report) with ChatGPT/Codex Desktop.

Remote clients tested:

• Android phone
• Android tablet

Both devices are signed into the same ChatGPT account as the Windows host.

What issue are you seeing?

Codex Remote pairing appears to succeed, but neither Android device can establish a usable Remote Control session with the Windows host.

The desktop has shown the error:

Cannot connect at this time. Please ensure only one ChatGPT/Codex instance is running.

After a full Windows restart, the problem remains.

The Windows app can generate a valid QR code. The Android device scans/accepts the QR and the device appears in the desktop's authorized-device list, but attempting to connect from Android fails. The Android Remote screen can see the Windows computer, but then reports that it cannot connect / to make sure the desktop app is open.

This affects two different Android devices, not just one.

Steps to reproduce

1. Open Codex Desktop on Windows 26.818.31338.
2. Enable Remote / Control this computer.
3. Generate a new QR code.
4. Scan the QR code from ChatGPT on Android.
5. Pairing/authorization appears to complete and the device is listed on the Windows host.
6. From Android Remote, select the Windows host.
7. Connection fails instead of opening the Remote session.
8. Repeat with a second Android device: same result.

Expected behavior

After successful QR pairing and authorization, the Android Remote client should connect to the Windows Codex host and allow access to the remote Codex session.

Actual behavior

The host is discoverable and pairing works, but no live Remote connection is established.

Relevant sanitized desktop log evidence

The local app-server itself starts and connects normally:

[AppServerConnection] ... currentState=connecting ... hasConnection=true ... next=connected ... transport=stdio

The Remote client list request succeeds:

method=remoteControl/client/list
errorCode=null

Starting QR pairing also succeeds:

method=remoteControl/pairing/start
errorCode=null

However, after pairing, the Windows desktop repeatedly refreshes Remote Control with zero connections:

[remote-connections/window-context] refresh_remote_control_started previousConnectionCount=0
[remote-connections/window-context] refresh_remote_control_completed autoConnectConnectionCount=0 nextConnectionCount=0 previousConnectionCount=0

This repeats continuously while Android is attempting to connect.

No 401, 403, 409, explicit MFA failure, or explicit networking error was found in the relevant captured log section.

Troubleshooting already completed

• Full Windows restart
• Codex Desktop updated through the app; no newer update currently offered
• MFA / two-factor authentication confirmed enabled
• Android device access revoked and re-paired with a fresh QR code
• Fresh QR code successfully scanned/accepted
• Tested from two separate Android devices
• Tested with the tablet disconnected from USB
• Tested normal Wi-Fi
• Tested the Windows laptop on a completely different network using a phone hotspot
• Same failure on the hotspot, making the normal router/Wi-Fi unlikely to be the cause

The issue persists after all of the above.

Why this may be distinct from related reports

This is not a case where Remote enrollment never reaches the QR step: QR generation and remoteControl/pairing/start succeed.

It is also not yet the same symptom as a paired client that loads Remote but then fails to load tasks. In this case, the Android clients cannot establish the live Remote session at all, and the Windows log remains at nextConnectionCount=0.

Potentially related issues include:

• #39815 — Windows host pairs with Android but conversations/tasks fail later
• #37925 — Android pairing failures / connection count remains zero after device removal
• #30372 — Windows Remote error mentioning only one Codex instance
• #34815 — Windows Remote regression after an app update

Privacy

The log excerpts above are intentionally sanitized. No Windows username, account ID, tokens, cookies, device IDs, QR contents, or authentication material are included.

If maintainers need additional targeted diagnostics, I can provide further sanitized log excerpts and timestamps.

Start by tracing the remoteControl/client/list and remoteControl/pairing/start operations, then follow the remote-connections/window-context refresh logs while reproducing with an Android client and Windows host. Done means pairing remains successful, nextConnectionCount becomes nonzero, and the Android client establishes a usable Remote session.