Android app version 1.20.10 doesn't access location data

Bug Reports
1

Please fill out the following sections to the best of your ability, it will help us investigate bugs if we have this information at the outset. Screenshots are especially helpful, so please provide those if you can.

Platform (Android, iOS, Website): Android

App version number, if a mobile app issue (shown under Settings): 1.20.10

Browser, if a website issue (Firefox, Chrome, etc) :

URLs (aka web addresses) of any relevant observations or pages:

Screenshots of what you are seeing (instructions for taking a screenshot on computers and mobile devices: https://www.take-a-screenshot.org/):

Description of problem (please provide a set of steps we can use to replicate the issue, and make as many as you need.):

Step 1: Updated to latest version of Android app on Samsung Galaxy S7 Active phone

Step 2: iNat no longer attempts to add location coordinates to new observations, and can’t load suggested Missions. The GPS icon doesn’t even light up on status bar. All other apps are still able to access location as usual.

Step 3: Rebooted phone, toggled GPS on/off, toggled location permissions, cleared app cache & data, reinstalled app… None fixed issue. Reverting to version 1.20.8 fixed the issue.

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2

Can you please provide a screenshot of the app permissions showing that the “Location” permission is allowed?

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I’m having the exact same problem, Galaxy S7 as well. Attaching screenshot of app permissions.

Screenshot_20200821-155528_Settings
Screenshot_20200821-155528_Settings1080Ă—1920 209 KB

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Thanks for the screenshot, @elfaulkner. What kind of location permission have you allowed? E.g. “Only while app is in use”? Also, should have asked this before, but what version fo Android are you all running? Also, how are you adding new obs? I just asked someone with a different Samsung model to make a new observation and the coordinates came in fine, but maybe there’s a problem with importing existing photos.

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I’m using Android 8.0.0. I’ve looked all over the settings but can’t find what type of location permission is allowed. I’m adding the new observation with photos taken using the app, not importing photos from the gallery.

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Got it. I think I can replicate in Android 6, and so can Amanda, so we’re looking into it. I think Google added those additional permission granularities in Android 9 or 10.

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Same here on Android 9. I was taking photos in iNat app. Location permissions- Access Precise Location, Access Approximate Location

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Ok, found the problem: we had to request a new kind of permission to access the location in photo metadata in Android 10, and doing so silently and infuriatingly made it impossible to get any location in older versions of Android. I’m hoping we’ll have a fix in the Play Store later this evening. Bug fix release is out (v1.20.11). We rushed it since this bug was so bad, so here’s hoping there aren’t other fun problems with it.

If anyone can’t wait that long and needs to downgrade and can’t do so in the Play Store, you can install an APK of v1.20.8.

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I updated to the new version and it’s working fine now, thanks!

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Thanks for the quick fix! Version 1.20.11 just appeared in Play Store for me, and location is working fine now.

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