logs keep disappearing: app vs. website

[+bliss-chris]

Hi there! I got a problem, for which I found a thread on the website discussion, but maybe it's more an app issue. Therefore I'd like to report it here, too.

 

I'm caching and logging with the official Android app and the logs keep disappearing. I described it here: https://forums.geocaching.com/GC/index.php?/topic/348244-log-entries-have-disappeared/

Can you probably help me?

[+Gorrobs]

I have noticed the same thing. 

Today I visited and logged 30+ caches, and none are shown on the webpage/statistics. They are shown "yellow" on my android, but not on the webpage. Not are they shown as field notes or anything else. I did not use any thing else but the Geocaching-app to make the logs. 

 

 

[+bliss-chris]

Sounds like just the same problem. Caches logged with the app, but not showing on the webpage. What do you mean with they're "yellow" on android?

[+Mineral2]

Yep. Yesterday I had to use my phone to search for a cache. Logged it as a draft because I was out of good cell range, but when I got back into town, I submitted it. In the App, it shows up as logged, though the log doesn't show up in the activity. I can't write another log in the app. My log does not appear on the website.

[+niraD]

3 hours ago, Mineral2 said:

Yep. Yesterday I had to use my phone to search for a cache. Logged it as a draft because I was out of good cell range, but when I got back into town, I submitted it. In the App, it shows up as logged, though the log doesn't show up in the activity. I can't write another log in the app. My log does not appear on the website.

After you save a log as a draft, you need to go to the Drafts page on the web site to convert the draft into a real log:
https://www.geocaching.com/account/drafts

[+bliss-chris]

Do you have to do it like this, save it as draft in the app and then finalize the log on the webpage? In this case I would like to request to remove the possibility to turn a saved draft into a real log from the app, because that doesn't seem to work reliably and is probably not even supposed to work.

Edited May 19, 2019 by bliss-chris

[+bliss-chris]

Or what about this: I mean , does the draft/log handling in the app usually work, but just not always for all app users? Does anybody have good experiences with this way of logging?

 

[+Mineral2]

It has worked fine in the past. Currently, it's out of sync with the website.

[+bliss-chris]

Ok, this is a bug and niraD just showed us a way to work around it. Thanks! It's definitely an option.

I was confused. 

Edited May 19, 2019 by bliss-chris

[+Mineral2]

Considering that my usual MO is to upload field notes (drafts) from my GPS when I get home, saving as draft and submitting from the website is an acceptable workaround (For me) for the moment. But that may not work for everyone, so this bug does need to be fixed. I did some testing and a log posted from the app without first being saved as a draft does post to the system as intended. So if you're a phone cacher and you are in service, post your logs right away. If you're out of service, save a draft and when you're back in service, log onto the website with your phone's browser or at home on your PC/laptop and submit the draft as a log.

[+DragonflyC79]

Hi, I keep losing logs on the app too. It did it again today.  I Log it from my phone while in the field. It shows as a smilie. If I hit "log" again the "found" option is no longer available, but if I go to the website, they haven't been updated. I have to then log them on the website. If I don't go to the website to upload them, 48 hours later the smilies disappear from the app.

When I've saved them as drafts, try to upload them, it says its successful, draft vanishes. Same thing happens, no log on the website and my finds don't go up. 

 

If the website was easier to use on my phone, I'd just use that. But after the recent changes, it's very awkward. 

[+Mineral2]

57 minutes ago, DragonflyC79 said:

Hi, I keep losing logs on the app too. It did it again today.  I Log it from my phone while in the field. It shows as a smilie. If I hit "log" again the "found" option is no longer available, but if I go to the website, they haven't been updated. I have to then log them on the website. If I don't go to the website to upload them, 48 hours later the smilies disappear from the app.

When I've saved them as drafts, try to upload them, it says its successful, draft vanishes. Same thing happens, no log on the website and my finds don't go up. 

 

If the website was easier to use on my phone, I'd just use that. But after the recent changes, it's very awkward. 

So you're experiencing the log loss with all logs, not just those saved as drafts first?

This may be the "easiest" workaround until this gets fixed. Save your logs as a draft. Then open the website on your phone and go to drafts. Then open each draft and submit. It's awkward. It sucks. If you have a regular computer at home, you could then log your drafts from the computer.

You can also try a 3rd party app. GC Droid has been a nice option. I don't remember if it  grabs drafts from the server, but you can directly log your caches from the app.

[+Hélianza]

Hello !

 

I confirm there is a bug, here.

I log, I have the smiley, I don't have my "log comment", and I can't log again.

I will try the draft thing, but if you could fix it, it should be great !

All was working perfectly on saturday. And not working on sunday.

 

Thanks for your help.

 

Damien

[+CAVinoGal]

On 5/19/2019 at 11:37 AM, Mineral2 said:

So if you're a phone cacher and you are in service, post your logs right away. If you're out of service, save a draft and when you're back in service, log onto the website with your phone's browser or at home on your PC/laptop and submit the draft as a log.

 

I've always used my Andoid phone to geocache.  And I don't like logging directly on the phone (I make too many mistakes when typing in my descriptive logs!)  In service or not, I make a few notes and save a draft on the phone for each cache found.  Once I'm at home and sitting in front of my laptop, I log into the website, and pull up my drafts and complete each log and post it from the drafts I made.

 

Using this method, I haven't seemed to have any issues with logs/find count/smilies syncing between the website and the app, except maybe a short delay (a matter of an hour or so?) between converting the draft to a posted Found It log on the website and the phone app showing it as a smilie.  My logs show up in the app, but the icon doesn't always update to match right away.

[+bliss-chris]

The delay between website and app might be interesting. I'll try again with logging on the phone and checking the website a day or two later. 

I also tend to like logging with my PC more, but when I don't have a PC e.g when I'm vacation, I'd also like to log with the app.

Edited May 23, 2019 by bliss-chris

[+bliss-chris]

Okay, several hours is not enough obviously. It happened again today.  :-)

So, we've found a bug. How does this work here now, will somebody file a problem report, trouble ticket or something?

[+Mineral2]

Well, we hope someone from HQ is listening in. Often they are, even though they don't always make their presence known.

[+ilukaperi]

Hi all, I am also having a problem with drafts on the app disappearing. I save them with a few bits of key info about the cache so I can remember it down the line to finish logging. Usually it is a few days after saving a draft and I go back and there are a few less drafts there than the day before, so I don't really notice. They are still saved on the website, but no longer appear on the app. This is frustrating as I struggle to remember caches from over a month ago to finish these drafts of the website. 

[+bliss-chris]

Hi ilukaperi! It's interesting to hear that even drafts disappear from the app. Disappearing drafts is new as compared to logged caches disappearing. It's good they're still available on the website, but still this is a bug that I think must be solved.

 

HQ, can somebody please take care?

[+mattycass95]

This has happened to me while i was on holiday and i've lost about 5-10 logs that i couldn't remember exactly... please fix this issue asap

[+jy09]

 

Hello,

 

Same problem for me, I was not noticed right away because usually I log in draft on the spot, then validate drafts with the PC .. I also have a lot of problems with the images that do not happen every time.

[+Docpomme]

First, sorry for my english, I'm french and not very good in english, particularly to write it.

 

Since few days I have the same problem. I went in holydays without computer so I use the App. Fist days no problem. I log in draft and I transform it in real log with the app few days later (when I have phone network). But since 3 days, I'll do the same: draft and few hours later real log. But I lose all of them! On the app I saw during 48 hours the yellow smiley and I can't log it again but I can't see the log on the website and after all disapear...

 

Not funny at all !! I hope this bug will be fix in a very short time

[+mksamelson]

I've got exactly the same problem.  Had a day when I saved all my caches as drafts and then edited and submitted of the Android App.  All show as finds/DNFs on my app, can't edit, have smileys/frowns on my app.  Nothing showing on website.

 

Please fix!

[geo_android]

Hi all!

 

Thank you for all of these reports. I am compiling them together and getting it prepared to become work items for the Android team.

 

I know that, because these are drafts and this has happened over a long period of time, it can be difficult to remember information about what caches you all were interacting with, or what version of the app you were on at the time, but if any of you have that information, please thread it here or let me know. It helps with the investigation.

[+mksamelson]

It does not appear to be a cache specific issue.  Rather, it seems to happen when user saves log in draft format.  Then returns to finalize, turn "draft" off, and post.

[+sufeea]

Hello. I also have this problem. I made 3 drafts on my phone, and posted them later from my phone. I can see them in the app map but I can't see them through the app statistics or anywhere in the website. 

 

Also a draft that I had posted somehow managed to appear in the website as a draft ?‍♀️

 

I think instantly posting from the app is ok ? In my screenshots you can see that the log I didn't draft (posted it right away) shows both in the app and the website

Edited July 22, 2019 by sufeea
Spelling

[+pscwmoms]

I'm losing log. Logged on app as finds or DNFs. Tried draft that failed too. Caching friend keep a list of finds. Some I wrote up three times.....   Only the website seems to log them. App kept losing the logs even after it showed a smiley and the gem I found..... 

I only have a phone with me for logging. 

I guess my work around is writing them down.  Then website write ups. 

Solution? 

[+pscwmoms]

Wanted to add that my app is up to date. To see the game I had to uninstall and reinstall to see the clues. It was after this that I noticed the problems. I'm sure I have lost posted logs before but just one once in a while, I was thinking bad or no cell coverage. 

 

 

Next date 8-1

Did a restart and today it's working. Drafts app finished at site Works. 

App only works and logs appear on site and number of caches found goes up.  All good today ??

Edited August 1, 2019 by pscwmoms

[+HCompleto]

This happened again today to me, lost my drafts because I sent my logs and they were gone. All "merda maintenance" logs also failed to send.

[+Camroo]

ive seen it happen before on 3rd party apps but never on the official app

[+HCompleto]

@geo_android are there any news on this? 

[+Honu&theBat]

This still seems to be a problem.  I wrote logs while out and about; didn't save them as drafts but posted them.  They have not synched with the website.  Is there any way to actually recover what I wrote in those logs to recreate them?

 

Is there any news on a fix?  Any workaround?  Or is it back to making paper notes and re-entering once home again

 

(Using official Geocaching App - Version 8.23.0; Android 8.1.0)

[+flying_turtle]

I had the same problem as Hélianza. The way I got around it was, once I had good cell service, to open one of the caches I had logged on my phone, press the "log" button, choose the "write note" option, type in a single character so the "post" button became active, then pressed the "post" button. Then all 4 of the caches that had "found" smileys for on the phone, showed up on the web.

[+Honu&theBat]

Thank you flying_turtle.  Your workaround worked for me!