Survey123 app crashes permanently with files in draft folder - are record limitations the reason?

[ulb]

Hi,

We recently had some trouble with the Survey123 App. The app was used for the registration of plant species at 44 different field locations.

Those 44 forms were saved in the draft folder during the day, when the app suddenly crashed. After that it was no longer possible to open the app. Only a re-install solved the issue, but all data in the drafts were deleted.

We now try to understand what exactly happened. We learned about the “maximum record count” (1000 records) and we were wondering if this caused the crash. In this regard we were confused about what counts as a record. We assumed that each point (form) counts as one record (regardless of how many species and variables are registered at each point). Is that right? Or do all plant species at one point count into the total record count? In this case - if we would register 30 different species per point - the total amount would be 44x30=1360 records.

However, if it is not the record limit that causes the crash, does the draft folder has any limitation of how many drafts can be stored there at the same time?

Of course, the most likely reason might simply be a conflict between the app and the iPad, but we would like to exclude other possible issues (as those mentioned above).

We would appreciate a lot if someone can help us to understand.

(Btw: we used the newest Survey123 version on an Apple iPad with IOS)

Kind regards,

Ulrike

[Anonymous User]

Hi Ulrike,

Sorry to hear about the crash issue you had and losing saved surveys in the drafts folder.

The "maximum record count" property you are referring to is on the server and relates to how many features can be queried and returned from the server in one batch. This would not cause the field app to crash and only applies when you try to refresh the Inbox and records are queried and downloaded. 

It is more likely the crash is related to low memory and not enough resources available on the iPad. What model iPad and iOS version does the iPad have installed? Were you running other apps at the same time? If you had 44 different surveys saved to drafts which all had 30 repeats, that is a lot of records and it is possible it pushed the limits of the device in terms of memory. Did they all have attachments/images also?

The reason the drafts folder and other application data was wiped when you re-installed the app, is with iOS when you uninstall and reinstall an app, all cached and local data is removed. Unfortunately there is nothing we can do about this, as iOS manages this and will remove all data stored on the device when an app is uninstalled. 

Regards,

Phil.

[ulb]

Dear Phil.

Thanks so much for your response!

Based on your explanation, the maximum record count seems not to be related to the crash.

Your suspicion regarding the memory is something we actually didn’t think about yet. The tablet is an iPad Pro A1709 with 256 GB (I cannot check the iOS version since I don’t have the tablet here). No other apps where active. A few photographs were taken at each location, but still I would think there should have been enough memory.

However, it was unfortunate that the app has been uninstalled. I think without those data it will be difficult to find out what exactly happened. Perhaps there is something wrong with the iPad. We will try to check this a bit closer - and perhaps try to replicate the error. At least we can now be sure that it wasn't the record limit!

Thanks for your support!

Btw: I saw, that my first (identical) post suddenly appeared and Zachary answered there as well. I am sorry for the double-post, the first one did not show up.

https://community.esri.com/t5/arcgis-survey123-questions/survey123-app-crashes-permanently-with-file...

[Anonymous User]

Hi Ulrike,

Based on the model of the iPad I would also be surprised if it ran out of memory, normally we see those sorts of issues with 5+ year old iOS devices, not the newer iPad Pros.

And yes, if it happens again, do not uninstall the app. Follow the instructions that Zach pointed out in your other post, which are in our documentation here: https://doc.arcgis.com/en/survey123/desktop/get-answers/troubleshootgetanswers.htm#ESRI_SECTION1_A97...

You can copy the survey database from the device, restore it on another device or Windows desktop/laptop, and you should be able to recover the surveys in the drafts folder and send them. After this is done you can then try and re-install the app.

Regards,

Phil.