[HOLD for payment 2023-12-07] [$500] Android - LHN is displayed instead Expensify uses Plaid to connect your account

[lanitochka17]

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---

Version Number: 1.2.93.0
**Reproducible in staging?:**Y
**Reproducible in production?:**Y
If this was caught during regression testing, add the test name, ID and link from TestRail:
Email or phone of affected tester (no customers):
Logs: https://stackoverflow.com/c/expensify/questions/4856
Expensify/Expensify Issue URL:
Issue reported by: Applause - Internal Team
Slack conversation:

Action Performed:

1. Go to account settings >> Workspace
2. Click on the workspace to view its settings
3. Click on Cards or Reimbursements settings
4. Select "Connect bank account" >> "Connect online with Plaid
5. Put app on background
6. Open app again

Expected Result:

Expensify uses Plaid to connect your account is displayed instead LHN after putting the app in the background

Actual Result:

LHN is displayed instead Expensify uses Plaid to connect your account after putting the app in the background

Workaround:

Unknown

Platforms:

Which of our officially supported platforms is this issue occurring on?

• Android: Native
• Android: mWeb Chrome
• iOS: Native
• iOS: mWeb Safari
• MacOS: Chrome / Safari
• MacOS: Desktop

Screenshots/Videos

Android: Native

Bug6257361_1698700041953.Screen_Recording_20231030_161932_New_Expensify__1_.mp4

Android: mWeb Chrome

iOS: Native

iOS: mWeb Safari

MacOS: Chrome / Safari

MacOS: Desktop

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• Upwork Job URL: https://www.upwork.com/jobs/~01f99be3ed1dcad788
• Upwork Job ID: 1719140445807620096
• Last Price Increase: 2023-11-13
• Automatic offers:
• s77rt | Reviewer | 27755311

[melvin-bot]

Job added to Upwork: https://www.upwork.com/jobs/~01f99be3ed1dcad788

[melvin-bot]

Triggered auto assignment to @dylanexpensify (Bug), see https://stackoverflow.com/c/expensify/questions/14418 for more details.

[melvin-bot]

Bug0 Triage Checklist (Main S/O)

• This "bug" occurs on a supported platform (ensure Platforms in OP are ✅)
• This bug is not a duplicate report (check E/App issues and #expensify-bugs)
  • If it is, comment with a link to the original report, close the issue and add any novel details to the original issue instead
• This bug is reproducible using the reproduction steps in the OP. S/O
  • If the reproduction steps are clear and you're unable to reproduce the bug, check with the reporter and QA first, then close the issue.
  • If the reproduction steps aren't clear and you determine the correct steps, please update the OP.
• This issue is filled out as thoroughly and clearly as possible
  • Pay special attention to the title, results, platforms where the bug occurs, and if the bug happens on staging/production.
• I have reviewed and subscribed to the linked Slack conversation to ensure Slack/Github stay in sync

[melvin-bot]

Triggered auto assignment to Contributor-plus team member for initial proposal review - @s77rt (External)

[nimishdubey2]

s

[melvin-bot]

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[s77rt]

@shahinyan11 Thanks for the proposal. Can you please elaborate on your RCA? How is the lifecycle different?

After reopening the App I'm seeing an error which seems pretty much related to this bug

 ERROR  Looks like you have configured linking in multiple places. This is likely an error since deep links should only be handled in one place to avoid conflicts. Make sure that:
- You don't have multiple NavigationContainers in the app each with 'linking' enabled
- Only a single instance of the root component is rendered
- You have set 'android:launchMode=singleTask' in the '<activity />' section of the 'AndroidManifest.xml' file to avoid launching multiple instances

[shahinyan11]

@s77rt Sorry but there was a problem in my proposal and it didn't work completely. I'm currently working on this to fix the problem and create new proposal.

[shahinyan11]

Proposal

Please re-state the problem that we are trying to solve in this issue.

Android - LHN is displayed instead Expensify uses Plaid to connect your account

What is the root cause of that problem?

The package react-native-plaid-link-sdk adds several different activitys. Most of them have a singleTask launch mode. But there is an activity that has a singleInstence launch mode and that is the cause of the current problem. This causes our app's main activity to call onCreate after going back by clicking on the app icon, since the app has a singleTask lunch mode. And calling onCreate restarts the application from scratch.

What changes do you think we should make in order to solve the problem?

Update the react-native-plaid-link-sdk version to 10.8.0 . In this version all activities added by plaid link have the singleTask launch mode . And we also have to remove useDeepLinkRedirector() because this function is not exist in 10.8.0 version

And after that, we need to open the Plaid link window again because it closes after going back. For this I made below changes .

1. The onExit function to below

  onExit: ({metadata}) => {
      Log.info('[PlaidLink] Exit: ', false, {metadata});
      props.onExit(metadata.status);
  },

2. The onExitPlaid prop to below

onExitPlaid={(status) => {
    BankAccounts.setBankAccountSubStep(null)

    if(!status){
        BankAccounts.openPlaidView();
    }
}}

What alternative solutions did you explore? (Optional)

Be honest I could not find any function which generates plaid Link Token . If there is such a function we can call It in onExit function and add props.token in deeps of useEffect .
Example:

    useEffect(() => {
        props.onEvent(CONST.BANK_ACCOUNT.PLAID.EVENTS_NAME.OPEN, {});
        openLink({
            tokenConfig: {
                token: props.token,
            },
            onSuccess: ({publicToken, metadata}) => {
                props.onSuccess({publicToken, metadata});
            },
            onExit: ({metadata}) => {
                Log.info('[PlaidLink] Exit: ', false, {metadata});
                if(metadata.status){
                    props.onExit();
                    return
                }

                regenerateTokenFunction()
            },
        });

        return () => {
            dismissLink();
        };

        // We generally do not need to include the token as a dependency here as it is only provided once via props and should not change
        // eslint-disable-next-line react-hooks/exhaustive-deps
    }, [props.token]);

[s77rt]

@shahinyan11 Thanks for the update. Regarding your RCA:

When the Plaid Link window opens, the Android application goes into background mode

Any specific reason why this happens on Android only? Is this coming from react-native-plaid-link-sdk?

---

Note: For future proposals please do not post new comments instead just edit the old one

[shahinyan11]

@s77rt Yes it is coming from react-native-plaid-link-sdk . It's possible that this behavior can be changed using Java or Kotlin at the package level, but I'm not sure because I don't have enough knowledge with those.

[s77rt]

@shahinyan11 If the bug is coming from react-native-plaid-link-sdk we should probably fix the bug upsteam.

[shahinyan11]

@s77rt But on the package side it's not a bug, it's just behavior for android.
I also noticed that Plaid has different integration methods, and there is a way with Webview, but I haven't explored it deeply.

[shahinyan11]

@shahinyan11 If the bug is coming from react-native-plaid-link-sdk we should probably fix the bug upsteam.

And if so what should I do ?

[s77rt]

@shahinyan11 We would probably need to fix react-native-plaid-link-sdk

[shahinyan11]

@s77rt is not the handling on the react native side an option ?

[s77rt]

It's an option as long as the fix is on react-native-plaid-link-sdk (assuming the bug is on react-native-plaid-link-sdk)

[shahinyan11]

@s77rt Ok . I will continue to explore the react-native-plaid-link-sdk package until I get a response from you, maybe there will be another option

[s77rt]

Not overdue. Still looking for proposals

[dylanexpensify]

Sounds good, thanks @s77rt! ❤️

[shahinyan11]

@s77rt @dylanexpensify I have looked for other ways, but it is not possible to change this behavior in Android. There is only one way which we can try. This is the way to use Webview but Plaid does not recommend using WebViews for new integrations for below reasons:

User Experience: The Plaid Link SDKs for Android, iOS, and React Native are designed to provide a seamless and native experience for users. They are optimized for mobile devices and provide a better user experience than a WebView.

Security: The SDKs are more secure than a WebView integration. They are regularly updated to include the latest security enhancements and to meet evolving industry standards.

Maintenance and Support: Plaid actively maintains and supports the SDKs, ensuring they are up-to-date with the latest features and improvements. On the other hand, support for WebView-based integrations is being phased out.

Future Compatibility: Starting from September 30, 2023, all WebView-based integrations will need to extend the WebView handler for redirects to support certain institutions. This adds an additional layer of complexity to your integration.

For these reasons, Plaid recommends using the native SDKs for new integrations instead of a WebView.

[melvin-bot]

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[melvin-bot]

📣 @shahinyan11 You have been assigned to this job!
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[shahinyan11]

I expect my review request to be ready for review by the end of today.

[dylanexpensify]

Nice! @s77rt to review!

[melvin-bot]

Reviewing label has been removed, please complete the "BugZero Checklist".

[melvin-bot]

The solution for this issue has been 🚀 deployed to production 🚀 in version 1.4.5-7 and is now subject to a 7-day regression period 📆. Here is the list of pull requests that resolve this issue:

• Fix displaying LHN instead Expensify uses Plaid to connect account  #31614

If no regressions arise, payment will be issued on 2023-12-07. 🎊

After the hold period is over and BZ checklist items are completed, please complete any of the applicable payments for this issue, and check them off once done.

• External issue reporter
• Contributor that fixed the issue
• Contributor+ that helped on the issue and/or PR

For reference, here are some details about the assignees on this issue:

• @s77rt requires payment offer (Reviewer)
• @shahinyan11 requires payment

[melvin-bot]

BugZero Checklist: The PR fixing this issue has been merged! The following checklist (instructions) will need to be completed before the issue can be closed:

• [@s77rt] The PR that introduced the bug has been identified. Link to the PR:
• [@s77rt] The offending PR has been commented on, pointing out the bug it caused and why, so the author and reviewers can learn from the mistake. Link to comment:
• [@s77rt] A discussion in #expensify-bugs has been started about whether any other steps should be taken (e.g. updating the PR review checklist) in order to catch this type of bug sooner. Link to discussion:
• [@s77rt] Determine if we should create a regression test for this bug.
• [@s77rt] If we decide to create a regression test for the bug, please propose the regression test steps to ensure the same bug will not reach production again.
• [@dylanexpensify] Link the GH issue for creating/updating the regression test once above steps have been agreed upon:

[s77rt]

• The PR that introduced the bug has been identified: n/a the bug was upstream
• The offending PR has been commented on: n/a
• A discussion in #expensify-bugs has been started: n/a
• Determine if we should create a regression test for this bug: Yes, the bug may happen again if we upgrade plaid to an effected version. A regression test should help prevent that

---

Regression Test Proposal

1. Open app
2. Go to Settings > Workspaces > any workspace > Bank account
3. Press Connect online with Plaid
4. Put app on background
5. Open app again (from launcher)
6. Verify that the last screen is visible and not LHN

[dylanexpensify]

Payment upcoming!

[shahinyan11]

@dylanexpensify the marked day has passed, but I have not yet received payment ? Is there any problems ?

[shahinyan11]

@dylanexpensify

[dylanexpensify]

Apologies! Processing now @shahinyan11!

[dylanexpensify]

Payment summary:

• Contributor: @shahinyan11 $500
• Contributor+: @s77rt $500

Please apply!

[dylanexpensify]

@shahinyan11 offer sent!

[shahinyan11]

@dylanexpensify applied

[dylanexpensify]

paid!

[shahinyan11]

@dylanexpensify Are not you leaving reviews at all? )