Field work can be unpredictable. Whether a device takes a dive into a swamp or gets replaced without a second thought, most of your survey data is probably already safe. Here's how to check, and how to free up the surveys it had checked out.
What's already safe
Collector 4.1.10 and later syncs survey data, points and photos to the cloud automatically whenever the device has Wi-Fi or cellular service. Anything collected before the device last had service is almost certainly in Ecobot Manager already.
What can be lost is anything collected after that: points and photos taken with no service that never got a chance to sync.
Check what reached the cloud
Open each survey the device had checked out in Manager. Compare the points, photos and map features with what the field team expects.
If you can get the device back
Connect it to Wi-Fi, open Collector, and check in each survey: open the survey, tap Manage Survey, turn on Check In Survey, and tap the button at the bottom. Signing out of Collector also checks in every survey. Nothing is lost this way.
If the device is gone: force check-in
Force check-in releases a survey so someone else can edit it.
- On the Surveys page in Manager, select the ⋮ menu on the survey's row.
- Select Force check in.
- Type CHECK-IN to confirm, then select Check in.
Admins and Managers can force check-in any survey in the organization. Users can force check-in only their own surveys.
Force check-in keeps only what reached the cloud. Anything still on the device, including photos that never uploaded, stays there.
If the device turns up, those photos can still be recovered. Signed in as the original owner, open the survey, tap Manage Survey, select Send Photos to Manager, and tap Sync. This works even after a force check-in — but only while the survey still belongs to that user. If it has been transferred or merged, the photos are gone.
Sign the lost device out
In Manager, go to Settings › Devices and sign the lost device out. This frees the license for a new device and keeps the account secure. Signing out remotely doesn't sync the device, so do it after you've recovered what you can. See Manage licenses.
Avoid it next time
- Check in surveys at the end of each field day.
- Give photos a chance to upload: connect to Wi-Fi before you leave the office or when you get back.
- Name each device in Collector's settings so you can tell them apart in Manager.
Need help?
If you can't force check-in, or the numbers don't add up, get help from Ecobot support. Include the survey names that were checked out to the device and, if you know them, how many points and photos they should contain.