Survey123 App Logging User Out

[JoshHabel]

Hello,

My field crews are having issues with the app logging them out and I am wondering if this is a known bug or if there is something else going on with the software or hardware we are using.  So far the issue seems to happen under the following circumstances.

1.   If the device looses cellular signal

2.   If the the crew member receives and answers a call or text

We are using a combination of the latest Ipads and Samsung Galaxy 7&8  phones.  The carrier is Verizon.  So far the only thing we can do is log back on which usually requires driving to a location that has a good signal.  This is very annoying for them and wastes time so i really hope there is a solution in the works.  Off line use is critical in our area where cell signal is spotty at best.

Thanks,

Josh

[Anonymous User]

Hi Melissa,

I believe the problem is still occurring for you as you are using Survey123 Classic, which is an older version 2.9 of Survey123 from July 2018. The latest version 3.3 released today and even in prior versions 3.1 and 3.2, the sign out issue was resolved. We do not actively update or apply bug fixes to Survey123 Classic so the only fix available for you is to upgrade to the latest version.

Regards,

Phil.

[AW_Grove]

Thanks. I'll test on a few devices now.

[AW_Grove]

Hi Philip, 

The user sign in is still not resolved on Survey 123. It doesn't require the user to sign in each time to the app, but while the user is signed into the app and without closing the app, the user still has to sign in for each individual survey they want to download. This makes me wonder if it is truly holding their credentials or not and if their credentials will drop the webhook even if they are still signed into the app.

[Anonymous User]

Hi Melissa,

What version of Survey123 app are you testing with now? Version 3.3 was just released last week.

As for the way it works, when you sign in you get an expiry token from the authenticating server if using IWA or ADFS, and as you are not on a Windows device (which IWA and ADFS are developed for) it can not automatically continue to renew your login based on the device sign in credentials. In Survey123, the app will cache you sign in details and use them when the device is offline or has no access to the authenticating server to display the signed in user in the app, therefore while the app is open you should still see the user signed in and the username can be used in the surveys fields.

However, the token that the server provided may expire during this time (depending on the server settings and length of expiry), meaning the user must login in again with valid credentials to obtain a new expiry token, this will happen when online and trying to use a feature that needs to request information from the server (download surveys, submit surveys etc). 

Hope this helps, please keep in mind there are cases where users will always have to sign in again using IWA and AFDS due to token expiry, this is expected.

Phil.

[AW_Grove]

Hi Phil,

I am using 3.3. 

If the token expires and a user submits a survey will the app prompt them to sign in? Or will the record be created in the hosted service and the webhook break without them knowing? 

Thanks for your help!

Melissa 

[Anonymous User]

Hi Melissa,

Yes, they should have to sign in before they submit the survey, otherwise the sever they are submitting to will not be authenticated and not accept the submit.

Phil.

[AW_Grove]

Perfect. We will keep testing. I'm not sure exactly when the token expires but it seems like its monthly. 

[AW_Grove]

Hi Philip,

A user yesterday was signed out of Survey 123 and when they submitted their survey no point was created and the email through Microsoft Flow did not send. There was no notification to the user that they had been signed out, but when looking at the menu you could tell. The user downloaded the current version of Survey 123 last Wednesday and signed in at that time.  

[Anonymous User]

Hi Melissa,

If the user was signed out when trying to submit, then the survey would not have been sent and they would have been prompted to sign in, otherwise it should still be in the Outbox. In this case it can be submitted when online and signed in, at which stage the record will appear in feature layer and the webhook will be sent.

The only way to send a survey without being signed in is if you have set the permissions to the survey to be public (shared with everyone).

Phil.

[AW_Grove]

Correct. The problem was it didn't prompt them to sign in. Therefore they didn't know their work was not submitted.