Bugs found in Merlin AI: AI Chat Assistant for Android
GenSpark is a remarkable AI-based mobile application that serves as a personal agent, designed to maximize user productivity by bringing AI to fingertips.
The app offers a broad range of functionalities—from appointment scheduling and workout routines to email management and holistic health advice—revolutionizing task and time management.
QAwerk team performed a thorough Bug Crawl on Merlin AI: AI Chat Assistant for Android, uncovering issues that may affect performance and user experience. Below are our detailed findings.
Utilizing archived GPT-3.5 model fails to reduce usage count
Severity:
Critical
Precondition:
- The app is installed.
- The user is logged in on the free plan.
Steps to Reproduce:
- Open the application.
- Navigate to account page and note remaining usage count (e.g., 82).
- Go to chat screen.
- Select GPT-3.5 from Archived Models.
- Submit any prompt and wait for a response.
- Return to account page and verify usage count.
Environment:
Poco F4; Android 13
Actual Result:
Usage count remains unchanged after using GPT-3.5.
Expected Result:
Usage count should decrement by one after each prompt.
App freezes when initiating new project without allowing image upload completion
Severity:
Critical
Precondition:
- The app is installed.
- The user is logged in.
Steps to Reproduce:
- Swipe right to open side menu.
- Tap Merlin Projects > New Project.
- Enter “lorem ipsum” in Title and Description fields; tap OK.
- Upload two images.
- Immediately tap Next before uploads finish.
- Enter text in Custom Instructions; tap Continue.
Environment:
Poco F4; Android 13
Actual Result:
The app displays an endless loading animation and becomes unresponsive.
Expected Result:
The app should wait for image uploads to complete or prevent the Next Step until uploads finish.
Persistent search animation displayed despite no results in menu search field
Severity:
Major
Precondition:
- The app is installed.
- The user is logged in.
Steps to Reproduce:
- Swipe right to open side menu.
- Enter “first” in search field.
- Observe search animation.
- Close and reopen side menu.
Environment:
Poco F4; Android 13
Actual Result:
The search animation runs indefinitely, with no “No results found” feedback.
Expected Result:
The app should stop the animation and display “No results found” when the search yields nothing.
Save Changes button is inaccessible when large text is entered in Last Name field
Severity:
Major
Precondition:
- The app is installed.
- The user is logged in.
Steps to Reproduce:
- Launch the application.
- Navigate to your profile and tap ‘Edit Name. ‘
- Paste a large block of text into the Last Name field.
Environment:
Poco F4; Android 13
Actual Result:
Last Name field extends off-screen. Save Changes button cannot be reached, and no scrolling is available.
Expected Result:
The screen should scroll or the input length should be limited so that “Save Changes” remains accessible.
DeepSeek models inaccurately identify as other models
Severity:
Major
Precondition:
- The app is installed.
- The user has access to multiple AI models.
Steps to Reproduce:
- Open the app.
- Select Gemini 2.5 Flash; ask “What is your name?”—model identifies correctly.
- Switch to GPT-4o; ask the same question—identifies correctly.
- Switch to DeepSeek V3; ask the same question—incorrectly identifies as GPT or Gemini.
- Switch to DeepSeek R1; repeat—incorrect identification.
Environment:
Poco F4; Android 13
Actual Result:
DeepSeek models mislabel themselves as ChatGPT or Gemini.
Expected Result:
DeepSeek models should accurately identify themselves as either DeepSeek V3 or DeepSeek R1.
Paste function fails in email input field during login
Severity:
Major
Precondition:
The app is installed.
Steps to Reproduce:
- Copy valid email to clipboard.
- Open app and navigate to login screen.
- Long-press email input field; tap Paste.
Environment:
Poco F4; Android 13
Actual Result:
No text is inserted despite tapping Paste.
Expected Result:
Copied email address should populate email field on paste.
Clear (X) button does not exit search mode in side menu
Severity:
Minor
Precondition:
- App is installed.
- User is logged in.
Steps to Reproduce:
- Swipe right to open side menu.
- Enter “test” in search field; swipe left to close menu.
- Swipe right to reopen menu.
- Tap Clear (X) button in search field.
Environment:
Poco F4; Android 13
Actual Result:
The search field clears, but the menu remains in search mode, showing no items.
Expected Result:
Menu should exit search mode and display all items once the search field is cleared.
Critical failures in usage accounting, project flow, and model identification block essential functionality. Major UI and search flaws disrupt core workflows, while minor input and menu issues degrade overall user experience. Addressing these defects will ensure reliable, intuitive AI interactions.
