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[GH-ISSUE #1479] Android App: No option to add authentication credentials for self-hosted servers #1043

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opened 2026-05-07 00:29:49 +02:00 by BreizhHardware · 4 comments

BreizhHardware commented

2026-05-07 00:29:49 +02:00

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Originally created by @ssfdre38 on GitHub (Oct 30, 2025).
Original GitHub issue: https://github.com/binwiederhier/ntfy/issues/1479

Issue: Android App Cannot Add Authentication Credentials to Self-Hosted Server

Environment

ntfy Server Version: 2.11.0
Android App Version: Latest (from F-Droid/Play Store)
Server URL: Self-hosted with SSL (Let's Encrypt)
Server Config: Authentication enabled with auth-file and auth-default-access: deny-all

Problem

When attempting to add authentication credentials to a self-hosted ntfy server in the Android app, there is no option or interface to input username/password.

Steps to Reproduce

Self-host ntfy server with authentication enabled:

auth-file: "/var/cache/ntfy/user.db"
auth-default-access: "deny-all"
enable-login: true

Create admin user: ntfy user add --role=admin admin
Open Android app
Settings → Add Server → Enter custom server URL
Subscribe to a topic
Problem: No option to add username/password credentials

Expected Behavior

There should be a way to:

Add authentication credentials when adding a custom server
Or, edit an existing server configuration to add credentials
Or, be prompted for credentials when accessing a protected server

Actual Behavior

The app allows adding the server but provides no mechanism to authenticate. All publish/subscribe attempts fail with 401 Unauthorized.

Impact

This makes authentication effectively unusable for self-hosted servers with the Android app. Users must choose between:

Running an open server (security risk)
Not using the Android app at all

Workaround

Currently had to disable authentication on the server to allow the Android app to function.

Additional Context

The web interface works fine with authentication - you can login there. The issue is specific to the Android app's inability to handle authenticated servers.

Request

Please add support for:

Server-level authentication settings in the app
Per-server username/password configuration
Or at minimum, a prompt for credentials when connecting to an authenticated server

This is a critical feature for anyone self-hosting ntfy who cares about security.

Originally created by @ssfdre38 on GitHub (Oct 30, 2025). Original GitHub issue: https://github.com/binwiederhier/ntfy/issues/1479 # Issue: Android App Cannot Add Authentication Credentials to Self-Hosted Server ## Environment - **ntfy Server Version:** 2.11.0 - **Android App Version:** Latest (from F-Droid/Play Store) - **Server URL:** Self-hosted with SSL (Let's Encrypt) - **Server Config:** Authentication enabled with `auth-file` and `auth-default-access: deny-all` ## Problem When attempting to add authentication credentials to a self-hosted ntfy server in the Android app, there is no option or interface to input username/password. ## Steps to Reproduce 1. Self-host ntfy server with authentication enabled: ```yaml auth-file: "/var/cache/ntfy/user.db" auth-default-access: "deny-all" enable-login: true ``` 2. Create admin user: `ntfy user add --role=admin admin` 3. Open Android app 4. Settings → Add Server → Enter custom server URL 5. Subscribe to a topic 6. **Problem:** No option to add username/password credentials ## Expected Behavior There should be a way to: - Add authentication credentials when adding a custom server - Or, edit an existing server configuration to add credentials - Or, be prompted for credentials when accessing a protected server ## Actual Behavior The app allows adding the server but provides no mechanism to authenticate. All publish/subscribe attempts fail with 401 Unauthorized. ## Impact This makes authentication effectively unusable for self-hosted servers with the Android app. Users must choose between: - Running an open server (security risk) - Not using the Android app at all ## Workaround Currently had to disable authentication on the server to allow the Android app to function. ## Additional Context The web interface works fine with authentication - you can login there. The issue is specific to the Android app's inability to handle authenticated servers. ## Request Please add support for: 1. Server-level authentication settings in the app 2. Per-server username/password configuration 3. Or at minimum, a prompt for credentials when connecting to an authenticated server This is a critical feature for anyone self-hosting ntfy who cares about security.

BreizhHardware closed this issue

2026-05-07 00:29:49 +02:00

BreizhHardware commented

2026-05-07 00:29:50 +02:00

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@wunter8 commented on GitHub (Oct 30, 2025):

Settings > General > Manage Users

@wunter8 commented on GitHub (Oct 30, 2025): Settings > General > Manage Users

BreizhHardware commented

2026-05-07 00:29:50 +02:00

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Owner

@luneth commented on GitHub (Oct 31, 2025):

As wunter8 mentioned, managing users globaly or per server is already integrated in the android application.

I do like your idea in your PR though, as some minor UX improvement.
To make it more obvious to the user, instead of having to go into Settings > General > Manage Users prior adding a subscription to a new server.

@luneth commented on GitHub (Oct 31, 2025): As wunter8 mentioned, managing users globaly or per server is already integrated in the android application. I do like your idea in your [PR](https://github.com/binwiederhier/ntfy-android/pull/133) though, as some minor UX improvement. To make it more obvious to the user, instead of having to go into Settings > General > Manage Users prior adding a subscription to a new server.

BreizhHardware commented

2026-05-07 00:29:50 +02:00

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Owner

@ssfdre38 commented on GitHub (Oct 31, 2025):

oh you mean something like this? https://github.com/barrersoftware/ntfy-android and yes this is also me

@ssfdre38 commented on GitHub (Oct 31, 2025): oh you mean something like this? https://github.com/barrersoftware/ntfy-android and yes this is also me

BreizhHardware commented

2026-05-07 00:29:50 +02:00

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Owner

@captain-cp-ai commented on GitHub (Nov 2, 2025):

Thanks @luneth and @wunter8 for the feedback!

You're right that the functionality exists in Settings > General > Manage Users - I should have been clearer this is more about discoverability/UX than missing functionality.

The PR aims to make user management more intuitive at subscription time, rather than requiring users to navigate to settings first. Especially helpful for new users who might not know the feature exists.

Happy to keep this as an enhancement discussion rather than bug report. The barrersoftware fork has the implementation working if anyone wants to test the UX improvements.

@captain-cp-ai commented on GitHub (Nov 2, 2025): Thanks @luneth and @wunter8 for the feedback! You're right that the functionality exists in Settings > General > Manage Users - I should have been clearer this is more about discoverability/UX than missing functionality. The PR aims to make user management more intuitive at subscription time, rather than requiring users to navigate to settings first. Especially helpful for new users who might not know the feature exists. Happy to keep this as an enhancement discussion rather than bug report. The barrersoftware fork has the implementation working if anyone wants to test the UX improvements.

BreizhHardware referenced this issue

2026-05-07 01:02:22 +02:00

[PR #1043] [MERGED] Update Swedish localizations: typo fixes etc #1496