Error shown on every message sent in some channels: "MatrixSDKCrypto.DecryptionError("error: invalid value: floating point `1.8446744073709552e19`, expected a number between 0 and 2^53 - 1 at line 1 column 40")

[matthijskooijman]

Steps to reproduce

On sending messages, one particular user (not me) in a few specific channels gets a message:

"MatrixSDKCrypto.DecryptionError("error: invalid value: floating point `1.8446744073709552e19`, expected a number between 0 and 2^53 - 1 at line 1 column 40")

• The messages are received properly by other participants in the room.
• This happens in a few (related) private rooms on matrix.org. Below info is gathered from the !hppPCMMaCzIbIgRgLC:matrix.org room.
• This does not happen in a newly created room with just me and the other user.
• The user has ios phone and a second device (tablet, unsure what Element version) and has done the verification flow with these devices, but the phone still shows cross signing is not set up in the settings.
• The user gets this message on their phone, not sure if the tablet also shows the problem.
• The user has not tried reinstalling yet (partly in fear of losing history, partly on my request to allow collecting info for this report).

Here's a screenshot of a particular problematic message:

Using Element web for another user in the same room, I collected the event sources:

Decrypted event source

{
  "content": {
    "body": "Test",
    "msgtype": "m.text"
  },
  "event_id": "$LNXJEymxivBQHeFsJLFJTjQBBHnRJzMS6692W4J29Bc",
  "origin_server_ts": 1739104120581,
  "room_id": "!hppPCMMaCzIbIgRgLC:matrix.org",
  "sender": "@nicoles:matrix.org",
  "type": "m.room.message",
  "unsigned": {}
}

Original event source

{
  "content": {
    "algorithm": "m.megolm.v1.aes-sha2",
    "ciphertext": "AwgBEoABSDxzVEJmKFGX+RokVPKQRUCRbO6dLHdoQqJV1fC1aKqydIZe90mckbCU5zk+HBxxZ61/IjJe481WIZ8bGPIkrWmiW0XTT66Xlbb6vBw2ac6P8QkxQgWbxSzP2gGzdtVK1BLKkdo/0Y/vao8luE95mKxC4lPaT7eM6UIZCM6VFjJMTDObUtY0i/YzBbk+DjCcBVa542RoKrtT21fcP6M7Z7vVPEz/qZz9BrC8xtyje2Nx2hHqkhezcQGAKWj5JXrRLHFYnJVkWgQ",
    "device_id": "SHLMNQUZKB",
    "sender_key": "x73CWZ+0F35mmy1bGVCeB7yTBHKdtJq5zvJmvGfDG2Y",
    "session_id": "t98+DR4F6AXyF9pufUMAsZUOPkUkXA++kMzeOCNj6cY"
  },
  "origin_server_ts": 1739104120581,
  "sender": "@nicoles:matrix.org",
  "type": "m.room.encrypted",
  "unsigned": {
    "membership": "join",
    "age": 341
  },
  "event_id": "$LNXJEymxivBQHeFsJLFJTjQBBHnRJzMS6692W4J29Bc",
  "room_id": "!hppPCMMaCzIbIgRgLC:matrix.org"
}

Using /devtools, I found the m.room.encryption room state:

{
  "content": {
    "algorithm": "m.megolm.v1.aes-sha2"
  },
  "origin_server_ts": 1726146090473,
  "sender": "@giplt:matrix.org",
  "state_key": "",
  "type": "m.room.encryption",
  "unsigned": {
    "age": 12867200095
  },
  "event_id": "$6FpFHBwmMRe2S8X0TBSJZAdV_s6SZZ4JM5KvzHD-Wbs",
  "room_id": "!hppPCMMaCzIbIgRgLC:matrix.org"
}

Given the message is an exception and not a proper error message, I suspect this might be a bug in the ios client, maybe combined with something weird in the room state/timeline.

I hope this is enough info to diagnose the issue, since collecting info is a bit tricky (I am doing this remotely without direct access to their phone).

I asked the user to report an issue (with a very brief description) via the app and include logs, in the expectation that that would show up as an issue in this repo or elsewhere and I could add the above details in a comment, but I could not find the issue anywhere. If anyone here can look through such reports and copy the logs here, that would be great. The report was made on 2025-02-09, around 14:30 UTC.

Outcome

See above

Your phone model

No response

Operating system version

No response

Application version

No response

Homeserver

matrix.org

Will you send logs?

Yes

[shaohme]

I have come across this problem too for the first time today. I am hosting a room on a homeserver and an IOS Element user reports the same error. It has occured two times today so far. The rest of us have Android Element and Android Element X.

[uhoreg]

This bug seems to affect only Element iOS, but not Android, or Element X iOS. 1.8446744073709552e19 appears to be 0xffffffffffffffff (i.e. 2^64 - 1)

[toshanmugaraj]

This bug seems to affect only Element iOS, but not Android, or Element X iOS. 1.8446744073709552e19 appears to be 0xffffffffffffffff (i.e. 2^64 - 1)

does it means there is no more support for element iOS, and its advisable to migrate to X iOS

[richvdh]

Yes, we strongly recommend using Element X rather than the classic apps, where possible: the classic apps get very little maintenance.