Chrome and Firefox still working just fine, it seems

Dec 15, 2019 06:18 GMT  ·  By

Google blocking Microsoft Edge from accessing its services is something that happened on several occasions in the last few years, but now it turns out that the search giant has turned the attention to a series of less high-profile Linux browsers as well.

Users are reporting on reddit that a number of Linux browsers can no longer be used to log in to Google services, such as Gmail and Google Docs, with the error page indicating that the apps may no longer be supported.

The blocked browsers include Konqueror, Falkon, and Qutebrowser, according to the linked discussion thread.

“Couldn't sign you in. This browser or app may not be secure. Try using a different browser. If you're already using a supported browser, you can refresh your screen and try again to sign in,” the error message reads.

No word on the reason

The Learn more link points users to this page where Google also details the reasons that could cause a browser to fail to load Google services. The most common is that the browser isn’t supported, and Google recommends using Chrome, Safari, Firefox, Opera, Internet Explorer, and Microsoft Edge.

For the time being, the block doesn’t seem to target all users, as some of those who joined the conversation on the aforementioned page claim everything is working fine on their devices.

In other words, only some users are blocked from connecting to Google services using these browsers, which makes many believe that the Mountain View-based company is either experimenting with a series of changes for its services or the restriction is the result of various security configurations per each account.

Google hasn’t released any comment on this new block so far, so the actual reason for it is yet to be discovered. Until now, however, the ban doesn’t affect any high-profile browser on Linux.

Supported browsers according to Google

Via BP

Photo Gallery (2 Images)

Error displays when trying to log in with Falkon
Supported browsers according to Google
Open gallery