Brave iOS Not Syncing, 2025 Revival

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1

Description of the issue:

Brave syncing on iOS quit working for me today, just like it did for @parkernathan in December 2021. I noticed this when some bookmarks I deleted on my PC were still on my iPhone. The QR code method hangs after scanning, and I get an “Unable to Connect” message if I try to use the code words.

How can this issue be reproduced?

  1. Open Brave on iOS.
  2. From the 3-dot menu (…) in the lower right corner, open Settings.
  3. From the Settings menu, select Sync.
  4. Try to join an existing sync chain, using either a QR code or code words from another device.

Expected result:

My iOS device should join the sync chain without any issue.

Brave Version (check About Brave):

1.74 (49)

Mobile Device details

iPhone 16 Pro, iOS 18.3

Additional Information:

I set up my iPhone 16 Pro by directly transferring all apps and content from my previous iPhone using Quick Start. Sync was working until today. I tried removing my iPhone 16 Pro from the sync chain on my PC, but that did not allow the iPhone to join the sync chain. I have not yet tried uninstalling Brave, reinstalling, and then setting up the sync chain again. If the sync service is working fine for other people with iOS devices, I would be more likely to try this procedure.

EDIT: Users in this 218-post thread from November 2021 through October 2022 say that uninstalling and reinstalling the app doesn’t fix the problem.

EDIT 2: Today (January 30, 2025), I was able to make my iPhone 16 Pro join my established sync chain via a QR code displayed on my PC.

1 Like
2

I also have this issue on my iPhone 15.
Brave version: “Version 1.75.175 Chromium: 133.0.6943.54 (Official Build) (64-bit)” on Ubuntu

Steps to reproduce

  1. I updated Brave on Ubuntu
  2. Select “Sync” menu in the Settings
  3. Scan the QR code from the desktop Ubuntu
  4. After I get the vibration from the scan, the screen completely freezes
    After I swipe away that screen, I go back to the Sync page and it says “No Devices in this sync chain”. I see the message "Received error: Network error (ERR_CERT_COMMON_NAME_INVALID) in the sync-internal screen.

I tried again after re-installing the Brave on iPhone but I got the identical result. I tried scanning on my MBP which is on the same sync chain as my desktop, but identical outcome.

3

Brave sync failed again for me sometime in the past couple of days. This time, I followed these steps:

  1. I made sure that the Brave app wasn’t backing up its data to iCloud, so that a reinstall wouldn’t restore any corrupt data.
  2. I uninstalled and reinstalled the Brave app on my iPhone.
  3. I removed the iPhone from my sync chain on my PC.
  4. I re-joined my sync chain via a QR code from my PC.

@ggando That message makes me think that a security certificate on the Brave sync servers may have been faulty. According to this blog post, whoever maintains the sync servers might want to make sure that the appropriate (sub)domain name(s) are in the certificate(s).

4

@StevenJS Sounds like that could have been the case, but I’m not familiar with how it works.

So I checked the sync status again after 1–2 days, and I see that my iPhone is now on the sync chain with my desktop and laptop computers. It seems like it just takes a really long time, or something triggered the sync to finally work.