The Stuck Spinner Is a Browser Boundary: What Internet Identity Users Should Check on Android

Internet Identity users have reported a specific failure mode on mobile: authentication completes neither with an error nor a redirect, leaving the page stuck on “authenticating…”.

The pattern described in a September 2026 Internet Computer Developer Forum thread is unusually narrow. On Android, a user could sign in successfully to one application, such as OpenChat, but then fail to authenticate with the NNS dapp. Clearing browsing data restored the next sign-in, but appeared to move the problem to the other application. Other participants reported the same behavior across multiple devices, including iOS, while private browsing provided a workaround for some users.

The thread’s replies point toward the browser rather than a particular authentication method. The reported behavior affected passkeys and other methods, was tied to a given browser, and produced no visible error. A forum responder later attributed the issue to a bug in older Android versions of Chrome and recommended updating to Chrome 153.0.8010.47 or newer.

That recommendation arrives alongside Chrome’s rollout of version 153 for Android. Google’s release documentation says Chrome 153 began rolling out on September 8, 2026, with stability and performance improvements, but it does not independently document this Internet Identity issue. The Chrome-version diagnosis is therefore a forum report and has not been independently confirmed by an official Chrome bug report.

For users encountering the spinner, the practical sequence is straightforward: update Chrome through the normal Android update channel, retry the sign-in, and avoid repeatedly deleting all browser data unless necessary. Private browsing may help isolate whether browser state is involved, but it is not a durable fix and can change how credentials and sessions behave.

For ICP application developers, the thread is a reminder that a successful Internet Identity integration can still fail at the boundary between the dapp, the browser, and stored authentication state. Reproduction reports should include the Android and Chrome versions, browser mode, authentication method, affected dapps, and whether a fresh browser profile changes the result. Those details can distinguish an application integration problem from a browser-specific regression.

The thread does not establish a network-wide Internet Identity outage, nor does it prove that every “authenticating…” hang has the same cause. The strongest current signal is narrower: some users appear to have encountered a browser-version problem, with updating Chrome reported as the resolution.