Lock screen uses last active window's language instead of default keyboard language

[Mikhail V. Golubev]

Lock screen (gnome-screensaver) uses last active window's language (keyboard layout) instead of default keyboard language.

Steps to reproduce this bug:
1. In the system Text Entry settings:
  1a. add two or more languages to the input sources list, e.g. English (as first and default) and Russian (as second);
  1b. Set hotkeys to switch sources (e.g. Ctrl+Shift or CapsLock).
  1c. Select "Allow different sources for each window" radio button.
  1d. Select "New windows use the default source" radio button.
2. Run any application (e.g. gedit) and switch keyboard to second input language (Russian).
3. Lock the screen (Ctrl+Alt+L) or just wait idle time.
4. See what language set by default for password input in the lock screen.

Expected: lock screen uses first input language (English) by default.
What happened instead: lock screen uses last active window's language (Russian).

Ubuntu versions affected: Ubuntu 13.10, Ubuntu 14.04 (daily builds)
gnome-screensaver versions: 3.6.1-0ubuntu7, 3.6.1-0ubuntu9

[Launchpad Janitor (janitor)]

Status changed to 'Confirmed' because the bug affects multiple users.

[ivan (funivan)]

Confirm.

I have the same problem.

Ubuntu 14.04

Linux ivan 3.13.0-24-generic #47-Ubuntu SMP Fri May 2 23:30:00 UTC 2014 x86_64 x86_64 x86_64 GNU/Linux

gnome-screensaver version 3.6.1

[Stanislav (stanislav-schmidt)]

I can confirm this too.

I don't have the option "Allow different sources for each window" enable, but the bug still works. My setup is:
 - two keyboard layouts: English and Russian
 - Alt+LShift to change between layouts.
 - Use the same input source for all windows enabled.

I switch the layout to Russian, then lock the screen via Ctrl+Alt+L. Result: the lock screen keyboard layout is set to Russian instead of the default English layout.

An additional commend: the lock screen inherits the keyboard layout from the desktop, but the converse is not true: the layout of the desktop is the same as it was before the screen was locked, independently of whether it has been changed in the lock screen.

Linux stan-ThinkPad-T530 3.13.0-29-generic #53-Ubuntu SMP Wed Jun 4 21:00:20 UTC 2014 x86_64 x86_64 x86_64 GNU/Linux
gnome-screensaver 3.6.1-0ubuntu13 (trusty)

[mingToM (mingtom)]

I can confirm this

[Stan (sergienko-stanislav)]

confirm!
i have the same problem with en and ru layouts.

[Launchpad Janitor (janitor)]

Status changed to 'Confirmed' because the bug affects multiple users.

[George Karakostas (gckarakostas)]

The solution in https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/ibus/+bug/1240198/comments/19 for other bug seems to affect this one as well.

[Mikhail V. Golubev (mvgolubev)]

This sulution (https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/ibus/+bug/1240198/comments/19) doesn't work for me (Ubuntu 14.04 LTS).

[CONSTantius (constantius9)]

Still affects me as well. Fix at https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/ibus/+bug/1240198/comments/19 doesn't work.

[ihoru (ihor-polyakov)]

I have the same problem

[ihoru (ihor-polyakov)]

 Ubuntu 14.10
gnome-screensaver 3.6.1

[Seth Johnson (sethj)]

As part of the big bug review for 16.04 LTS I have tested this on 15.10 and the bug is still there. I was able to reproduce it 2 out of 6 tries, so it doesn't seem to always happen every time, but it does happen.

[Yura Pakhuchiy (yura-p)]

Exactly the same issue with GNOME in Ubuntu 16.04

[Ya'ar Hever (yhever)]

Same issue here on GNOME 3 in Ubuntu 16.04.

[uwe (maabdulhaq)]

Same issue here, but I'm not sure its unity specific, I'm using gnome shell and getting issues unlocking the screen, i can (supposedly) switch language from the unlock screen dialogue, but it actually does not change the language, I'm using arabic as the second input language, and even when I set the language to english in that dialogue, It seems to input arabic characters (try to use b or B or T; corresponding to two characters ﻻ, ﻵ and ﻹ . and will show two dots; I use it as indicator for what language is beint input.

[uwe (maabdulhaq)]

It might be bug 1244548 in my case, as gnome-screensaver is indeed the process running, but maybe they share a common base.

[Vizvamitra (vizvamitra)]

Same for me.

Ubuntu 16.04 x64, en and ru locales, solution with ibus-setup doesn't work for me.

Also pressing alt+shift on a login screen to change keybord layout from ru to en doesn't work too: screen blinks, shows me my desktop with running apps for a second or less and then shows login screen again, with ru layout set.

Hopefully keybord layout selector does work...

[Yura Pakhuchiy (yura-p)]

I believe this is not duplicate bug. And it is definitely not in case if GNOME shell in use, not compiz.

[Andrey Paskal (andrey.paskal)]

How many years this bug will live?

[atimonin (atimonin)]

Confirm!

[Aleksandr (ishvarko)]

16.04.1 - all the same.

[Anton Vodonosov (avodonosov)]

What makes this issue sever is that you should restart your computer, killing all programs - there is no other way.

[orange-buffalo (orange-buffalo)]

@avodonosov there is a way to workaround this, at least with GTK Greeter: one can "Switch User" on the lock screen => the language is reset, it is possible to login with the same user => all the applications are running as before the lock screen operation.

[Richard Wordingham (richard-wordingham)]

I had the problem of sometimes having to use an alternative XKB keyboard back in 12.04 Precise, but then I could simply choose my default keyboard.

In 16.04 Xenial, there seems to be the subtlety that the display says I have the first keyboard (the default UK English keyboard from XKB), but I suspect that that it is not the active keyboard. If IBus keyboard selection is working, switching applications throws me into my first IBus-dependent keyboard, which is not my default keyboard, but the keyboard indicator shows my default keyboard, the XKB UK English keyboard. Attempting to use the US English keyboard does not work.

I use a variant of orange-buffalo's solution of 2016-12-13. I switch to an unpassworded account and then switch back to my account. As my password is accepted, a message flashes up in red which appears to say that my password is invalid. However, it is too fast for to me read it accurately.

[Richard Wordingham (richard-wordingham)]

The message is, "Invalid password. Please try again." Orange-buffalo's simpler solution also works for me, with the same spurious message.

[katsiki (fong-caltech)]

I have the same problem with 16.04.2 (64-bit). Neither workaround using "Switch User" works for me. When I do try "Switch User" with the same account, it momemtarily displays my desktop, but the account is still locked.

[maxp (maxp)]

Confirm.

[Oto Šťáva (oto-stava)]

This affects me on Ubuntu GNOME 17.04 with GDM's lock screen.

[Hatem (hatemben)]

17.04 also concerned

[Hatem (hatemben)]

Until this bug get fixed, you can switch to console mode and disable gnome screen saver :
$gnome-screensaver-command -d