Try disabling the Firefox for Android device from the Sync service and see if that corruption stops.

Hi, thanks for the reply, edmister.

I noticed that my bookmarks in Firefox on Android actually had the same problem as on Windows, where only a few bookmarks synced. So I disconnected both devices from Firefox Sync. I've left it like this for a couple days to make sure the issue of bookmarks rearranging themselves in the toolbar wouldn't happen again. Now Firefox on Fedora seems to be stable again: bookmarks stay where I put them unless or until I change them.

So that's good. However, I'm still not able to sync my bookmarks (or anything else now) to Android and Windows.

Okay, I've verified that the bookmarks on my Linux machine are stable when no other devices are connected to my Firefox Sync account. So on Windows 10, I deleted all the local profile data and then reenabled sync. After going back and forth between my Linux and Windows machines several times, I did the same thing on my Android tablet.

Firefox on Windows 10 does not download all my bookmarks. Firefox on Windows only receives the first half of the items in my bookmarks toolbar, with two of the folders being completely empty. However, the bookmarks that do appear on Windows sync correctly in both directions if I edit the bookmarks. And I *think* all the bookmarks in the Bookmarks Menu have synced correctly (there are a lot more in the Bookmarks Menu, so I haven't really counted to make sure they're all there). Syncing in Firefox on Windows does not affect the placement of the complete bookmarks on my Linux machine.

Bookmarks in Firefox on Android are also incomplete -- there are many items in the unsorted Bookmarks Menu, so I assume that's okay, but it only fetches the first dozen or so items from my bookmarks toolbar. I think it may only be receiving the same bookmarks as on Windows, but I haven't exhaustively checked to verify that the bookmarks are identical. However, *every time* Firefox Sync runs on my Android tablet, items in the bookmarks toolbar on Linux get scrambled again.

So neither Windows nor Android is syncing the complete list of bookmarks, but only syncing on Android disorganizes my bookmarks toolbar.

Sorry I lost track of this thread, I only keep track of threads where I have posted for 2 to 3 days.

IMO, that Android version "screwed the pooch"! And was caused by a Sync feature that was added in the spring of 2015 during the lead up the the release of Firefox for iOS for separate "Bookmark Toolbars" for "mobile" and "desktop" versions of Firefox. And that is what seems to get screwed up all the time, IMO; based upon support threads here.

The bookmarks data on your devices is corrupted, along with the data on the Sync server. And that data corruption will keep perpetrating forever until is all cleaned up.

To fix that situation.

1. Disable Sync on all devices until all devices are fixed. 2. Run Places Maintenance on all devices, to effect a fix of the Places database on each device, https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/places-maintenance/ 3. Change your Firefox Account password (for Sync) to clear the corrupt data from the Sync server. 4. Then connect the first "desktop" device to the Sync server and let that device to stay connected to Sync for an extended period (IOW, keep Firefox on that device running for a long time). 5. The following day connect the 2nd "desktop" device to Sync and let that one run for an extended period. Make sure that your bookmarks are synchronizing correctly and you aren't losing any of them or seeing them getting corrupted in any manner. 6. Don't connect the "mobile" device to Sync for a few days (if at all). And if that is a "game changer" for you with using Sync, see if this corruption issue has been fixed unbeknownst to me by giving it a try.

Yes, that shouldn't be happening and Mozilla needs to fix it. But until that happens the best that "we" (the volunteer support contributors here - other Firefox users) can offer is a "fix" for what has happened.

Sorry that there isn't a "simpler fix", but I am unaware of anything that is easier to implement, at this time.

Okay, I'll try it.

Should I also report this on Bugzilla, or are they already aware of this issue?

I don't think the Places Maintenace extension works on Android. Going to addons.mozilla.org redirects to a subdirectory for android devices, and searching for "Places Maintenance" brings up zero results. The link you posted loads just fine on my Android, but when I tap on the big "Add to Firefox" button, I get a notification saying "Downloading add-on," but it never gets installed.

Fixing the corrupted sync information should work okay, though, if I completely delete the local profile on Android, then follow the steps you described on the desktop versions of Firefox, before reenabling sync on Android. Right?

Sorry, I don't use Firefox for Android and I am not familiar with compatibility relationships for the various add-ons.

Yes, a fresh Profile for Android would work to get rid of corrupted files.

Android-the-Andrew said

Okay, I'll try it. Should I also report this on Bugzilla, or are they already aware of this issue?

See if it works first! I hope a Bug has already been filed, but didn't locate one the last time that I searched for one. And that may have been as long a 6 months ago.

I have yet to have a user report a positive conclusion is a thread that I participated in, that as someone who doesn't have a Android device I didn't have enough information to file a Bug report myself using a support thread here as "evidence". Too many times users just seemed to have disappeared before the exchange of postings was long enough to begin a 2nd page for the thread. I can be an arduous process depending upon how many devices are involved; and frustrating that issues like this can even exist.

Thanks for the questions and as any additional questions as you work thru this "repair" process.

Ed

Quick note. Just did a Bugzilla search for Sync Android and came up with 411 Bugs. Looked at 9 Bugs that sounded related, but only one was even close. https://bugzilla.mozilla.org/show_bug.cgi?id=769476 That was reported 2012-06-28 which may have been a "test day". But it reached no conclusions and I think it's too old for what I think has been happening for the last year that I have seen posted here about Sync and "mobile",

With a Bugzilla search for Sync iOS came up with 90 Bugs, but nothing even close.

We may need somebody with better "searchfu" than I possess.

Sorry, I don't always use Windows very often, so I was not able to disconnect Firefox right away. A few days ago, I disconnected all my devices from Firefox Sync. On each device, I ran the Places Maintenance tool, or deleted all the local profile data.

Yesterday, I reconnected to Firefox Sync on Linux, and changed my Firefox Sync passphrase. Several times since then, Firefox has asked me sign into Sync again. I thought at first that it was because my Internet service has been really spotty over the past few days, but the message saying that I need to reconnect to Firefox Sync does not go away when the Internet is back.

Sync is supposed to be connected all the time, so it works whenever Firefox is running; and the preference where a user could do an "at will" Sync event only was removed quite awhile ago. And with Firefox 47 the "Sync Tabs" added the "Show your synced tabs from other devices" button, which replaced the "Sync" button that allowed the user to initiate a "manual Sync event". So, the user has no control over Sync - you're logged in or you're not.

Check the Saved Logins in "Security" to see if you have an entry for chrome://Firefox Accounts (Firefox Accounts credentials

If that's not there, that's may be why Firefox is asking you to sign in to Sync frequently; that data wasn't saved for some reason. "We" need to try to figure out why.

Do you use the Private Browsing feature? Or have "never remember history" selected - in Privacy?

Yes, there's an entry for chrome://FirefoxAccounts in my Saved Logins.

I mostly use Private Browsing when letting someone check their email on my computer. Firefox is set to remember and sync my history, bookmarks, passwords, and preferences, like normal.

I have not been asked to sign in again yet today, though. So maybe it finally stuck the last time I signed in. The fourth time's the charm?

Android-the-Andrew said

I mostly use Private Browsing when letting someone check their email on my computer.

You should have a "guest" Windows Login User Account for people who you let use your PC.

Private Browsing allows you to browse the Internet without saving any information about which sites and pages you’ve visited, but doesn't prevent other people from "poking around" in your LUA or look at what you have saved in Firefox - like your Passwords, unless you are using a Master Password.

Hopefully Firefox won't ask to to log in to Sync any longer.

the-edmeister said

Private Browsing allows you to browse the Internet without saving any information about which sites and pages you’ve visited, but doesn't prevent other people from "poking around"...

Sure, but I'm only doing this for people I know and trust, and I'm generally with them in the room while they do it.

I logged back into Windows today. I ran Places Maintenance, though again I don't think the results show anything unusual. I also thought to delete all the previously locally saved bookmarks, to make sure there were no conflicts.

Then I reconnected Firefox to Sync. Within a few minutes, Firefox on Windows had *all* my bookmarks again, and in the right place :)

I'll try again with Firefox on Android in a bit.

EDIT: new people coming here with the same problem will want to skim through the whole thread, to make sure you get the complete solution.

Okay, last step: I deleted all local profile data on my Android tablet: Android Settings > Apps > Downloaded > Firefox > tap the Clear Data button.

Then I opened Firefox, and made sure all local bookmarks were deleted. Then I signed into Firefox Sync again.

The first time after I reconnected my Android to Firefox Sync, I noticed on my desktop a folder in the bookmarks toolbar had shifted a few spaces to the right. However, I'm going to call that a random fluke, because I have gone back and forth between my desktop and Android versions of Firefox a bunch of times over the past couple days, trying to duplicate the behavior, and it hasn't happened again since then.

As of today, all my devices seem to have synced *all* my bookmarks, and display them in the correct places and correct order. Hurray!

This took a while, but @the-edmeister, I can summarize the issue, and the solution that worked for me, on Bugzilla, if you think it's still worth reporting.