A recent Windows update seems to have further broken compatibility with the popular Ledger Nano S hardware wallets and internet browsers, meaning that Ledger owners face an uphill task connecting their device to decentralized servers or sending tokens through browser-based platforms. The new issue compounds the misery currently being endured by Ledger Nano S owners who lost compatibility with the most popular internet browsers in January, causing them to use a specific browser, Opera, for all transactions.
Windows 10 1903 to Blame
The culprit is the Windows 10 1903 update, released in May, which introduced a raft of new security measures into the operating system, some of which have seemingly had a huge impact on the relationship with Ledger’s Nano S devices and internet browsers. Users trying to connect their Nano S devices to decentralized exchanges like Binance DEX and DDEX or send tokens through the likes of MyEtherWallet and MyCrypto are met with a security-related popup that continually appears and disappears when a wallet is connected. The end result is a 2FA timeout and an inability to connect the device to a DEX or send tokens through a browser.
Unlike with the existing Ledger/Windows issue, this problem affects all browsers, meaning there is no simple workaround. Some users have been reporting similar issues since May, but many more have been reported in the last two weeks, potentially due to a patch of the update which has changed its behavior:
Windows Security Pop-up – Unable to use Nano Ledger from r/ledgerwallet
Ledger’s Advice no Longer Works
The advice given by Ledger back in May was to move the popup and work around it, but this now no longer works as the popup now disables all other browser action when it comes to the end of its ‘now you see it, now you don’t’ cycle. Anecdotal evidence suggests that Ledger are not exactly trying their hardest to solve the problem, with reports that technicians cannot replicate the problem so a fix is not forthcoming. This leaves Windows and Ledger users with a series of awkward workarounds:
- Use a non-Windows machine
- Use a prior version of Windows or a version of Windows 10 without the 1903 upgrade applied (not advisable due to other potential security risks)
- Uninstall the 1903 update (again, not advisable due to other security risks)
- Use an Ubuntu virtual machine within a Windows environment
- Use MyCrypto Windows application (extent of effectiveness unknown)
- Use Ledger Live Windows app (selected tokens only supported)
For the time being it seems that the Ledger Nano S is hardly the best way of storing your tokens if you want to get them out again anytime soon, and with no fix yet outlined, this issue could well sound the death knell for the popular device.
