SmugMug App for Android is only randomly Auto-uploading

WinsomeWorks

In the past few months when I've been relying more on the SmugMug App (for Android) to do my auto-uploading (due to the apparent demise of "Instant SmugMug", an outside app) I've been finding it to be quite unreliable. In other words, I never know when it's going to actually do its job according to the settings I've provided, or when it's going to simply decide not to auto-upload. I have a Samsung Note 5. During this past month, it simply hasn't been doing auto-uploads even though I had a gallery chosen & had plenty of space in the gallery. The app often needs to be "primed" somehow, & even that doesn't always do anything. The way I sometimes "prime" it, is this: Open the app & pull down to refresh it, touch the "cloud" icon to see if there's any info there about the most recent upload attempts, and/or go into Settings & select a different gallery for Auto-uploads or even re-select the same gallery.

I haven't found any "rhyme or reason" for when the SmugMug App will work & auto-upload as I expect it to, & when it will not. I have it set to auto-upload only when in Wi-Fi. I always give it plenty of time to auto-upload once I get home and/ or definitely into Wi-Fi before assuming it's not going to do it. (I mean, I give it many many hours). So it's not that I'm just getting into Wi-Fi. & getting impatient. It's that I'll do a lot of photos & eventually check to see if they uploaded. And then often I'll see that no, they didn't upload & that even lots of photos from a week ago never uploaded either.

I was on a hike yesterday & have had Auto-uploads set, but those photos never did upload many hours after I'd been back in Wi-Fi. Even after several hours when I went in & changed the gallery just to "prime" it (even tho the selected one was fine), nothing happened. But then, just before writing this, I just shot a test photo & suddenly that one auto-uploaded. I'm sorry I can't find any common link to when the app works & when it doesn't. Hope you guys can!! Oh, I also set my old phone (a Samsung S4) to Auto-upload, & that's unreliable as well. (& all my apps are set to auto-update, so I should have the latest update).

rainforest1155

Hi Anna Lisa,
Thanks for the detailed report. After connecting to your WiFi, did you already try to just open the SmugMug app and leave your device with the screen unlocked to see if that gets things going?
Also, how much battery life do you usually have? Perhaps you can try connecting the charger as well after accessing your WiFi and opening the app if you haven't done so already.

Which specific version of Android do you use? Also check on the SmugMug app version in the app > settings section. According to the Play Store, the latest version is currently 3.4.0.201701005.

WinsomeWorks

@rainforest1155 said:
Hi Anna Lisa,
Thanks for the detailed report. After connecting to your WiFi, did you already try to just open the SmugMug app and leave your device with the screen unlocked to see if that gets things going?
Also, how much battery life do you usually have? Perhaps you can try connecting the charger as well after accessing your WiFi and opening the app if you haven't done so already.

Which specific version of Android do you use? Also check on the SmugMug app version in the app > settings section. According to the Play Store, the latest version is currently 3.4.0.201701005.

Hi, Sebastian -- Thx for checking into this. As I said, I have the Samsung Note 5. I'm not sure what its latest named update is called, but it's had all the major & minor updates; a small one just happened last week. As to my SmugMug app, yes, I just checked & it's the version you listed: 3.4.0.201701005 . As far as charging-- well, my phone battery hasn't completely "died" for months, because I almost never let that happen. I do go through battery power if I'm out shooting heavily or using location. (I often use the phone for panoramics or videos etc that I can't get on my "good" camera.) However, I always have a juice pack along, can charge in my car also, & yes, when I get back into Wi-Fi I'll typically charge the phone right away then as well.
When I've actually had the SmugMug app open, it's rare that the phone was charging at the same time (since I usually unplug it to look at it unless "on the road"). So I can try, doing that next time I've shot a few outside of Wi-Fi. Now that you mention connecting to Wi-Fi & then just try opening the app & leave it open, I do think I've done that a few times in the past & that it may have worked now & then to jump-start uploading. I keep forgetting to check & see whether auto-uploads have happened or not, & also haven't had enough consistent experience with what has worked to jump-start it. I see now that most or all of what I shot this past Sat. has uploaded on its own, so that's good, but what I shot on Thurs. never did upload.
Alongside this random auto-uploading issue, I've seen "errors" pretty frequently when uploading has happened. The problem is, I never know what the actual error is, or what to do about it. There's no option to tell the app to try again on that file. I don't recall what the message on each file does say, but whatever it says is always frustrating because it neither gives info as to the actual problem nor gives the option to try fixing or re-doing it. It is even difficult to clear those files from the dialogue sometimes. So then I'm left with going back to my gallery & just try guessing from the thumbnails which ones didn't work. Sometimes that means guessing at 20+ files, which leads to a lot of missed ones or doubled ones in my archives.

leftquark

Hi Anna Lisa,
The best bet in this case would be to send us some troubleshooting information so that we can investigate your particular case a little further. To send us your log files do the following:
1. Go to your home screen in the Android app
2. Tap on the gear icon to go to "Settings"
3. Tap on the word "Settings" 5 times. You'll see new options at the bottom of the settings screen appear, discussing logging features.
4. Let the app try to auto-upload over night.
5. Return to the app, go back to settings, and at the bottom, tap "Email Logs...".

This will send us information so we can get a better understanding of what's going on.

One way to try to re-kickoff the auto-upload is to take a single photo and open the app and see if it auto-uploads. If it does, then the rest should go too, baring some other errors haven't occured.

As Sebastian mentioned, the best way to ensure the auto-upload completes is to plug your device into power

With that said, here's some general information:
The app will try to auto upload whenever any of the following happens and you are connected to WiFi (assuming "Sync over WiFi" setting is selected, which is the default):

• You take a new photo or video
• You start the app
• You charge the device
• Every 2 hours as a backup to one of the above failing

We do not auto upload upon connecting to WiFi

• A device may be in & out of WiFi range and auto uploading on connect would drain the battery very quickly
• We try to only auto-upload photos, not screenshots or downloads

Here are the most common reasons for failure:

• Poor connectivity, causing network retries
• Temporary network issues should get retried automatically
• If a file has already been auto uploaded, it will be skipped as a dupe.
• If you re on WiFi or Ethernet and you've tried 6 times and the error is not considered a retryable network issue, the upload will be cancelled.

WinsomeWorks

Thanks, Aaron-- When I have some minutes to work on this, I'll try what you suggested to troubleshoot. I think I understand & agree with everything you said, except for the following 2 things:
You said: "One way to try to re-kickoff the auto-upload is to take a single photo and open the app and see if it auto-uploads. If it does, then the rest should go too, barring some other errors haven't occurred." I'd just like to clarify what "the rest" refers to in this case. I'm guessing "the rest" means the app should technically upload anything it doesn't think it's uploaded previously, right? (with the possible exception of the types of files you mentioned later in your post).
Later, you said:
"We do not auto upload upon connecting to WiFi
A device may be in & out of WiFi range and auto uploading on connect would drain the battery very quickly
We try to only auto-upload photos, not screenshots or downloads....."
Well, that part has definitely not been the case with the Android app, in my experience (and that experience goes back to ever since I re-did my site on New SmugMug.) Typically, the app has definitely uploaded as soon as it gets into Wi-Fi --- as I said in one of my earlier posts, that has actually been one of my biggest frustrations with the app. I'll be trying use the phone's camera & wanting to preserve battery life, & I'll get too close to Wi-Fi., or be in my own backyard, & it suddenly starts uploading lots of files while I'm not plugged in. This is why I've said I had been (in the past) using the "Instant SmugMug" app alongside the SmugMug app, because that app had 3 distinct settings: ** 1**. Upload anytime. 2.Upload only on Wi-Fi. 3. Upload on Wi-Fi only when charging. I contend the SmugMug app seriously needs these three distinct options. You're saying its default is NOT to upload over WI-Fi unless charging, but that hasn't typically been the case, & the app also doesn't state the option that way. The option is just a checkbox-- **"Sync over Wi-Fi only" **& checked or unchecked are the only 2 options we have. I've often been frustrated with the battery drain & with the fact that it'll be uploading while I'm trying to shoot, or even worse, filming a video. Charging or not charging has (so far in my experience) not changed the outcome as far as whether files actually auto-upload. But yes, we do seriously need that distinct option.
Furthermore, the app always auto-uploads my screenshots and downloads. Even downloads from my SmugMug site... Maybe it's not supposed to, but for me it always has anyway.

leftquark

The suggestions for an option for Auto-upload on WiFI only when charging is something we'll keep in the back of our minds when we iterate on the auto-upload feature. For now, we'll only have the options that are currently in the app (as always, the feedback is super helpful).

I spoke with our Android engineers and they're surprised to hear the app is behaving differently for you. Please do make sure to submit the log files any time you see it not working as I described. If there's a bug, that would really help us track it down and fix this for ya!