Fragile connection during upload?

[gcwarbler]

System: iPhone 14 Plus with iOS 17.5.1; iNaturalist 3.3.4, build 719

When I am “Syncing” (uploading) a set of observations from the iOS app, my connection seems fragile. Switching to any other app while that process is ongoing seems to halt the iNat connectivity and when I return to the app I see the “Whoops! Something happened…” failure message and one or more observations are still waiting in queue to be uploaded. I have to restart the “Syncing” process.

The net result is that I can’t do anything else on my iPhone (including using the camera to make other observations or edit them in Photos) while Syncing. If I have compiled a set of 10 or 20 observations in the queue and begin syncing, this can inhibit my phone usage for a few minutes–it doesn’t prohibit other uses, the queue will just be interrupted–and this can be frustrating if I’m trying to compile a lot of observations on a hike in the field for instance.

I don’t know enough about the functioning of the iOS app (or my iPhone, for that matter) to know if this is proper behavior or not. Since this is an active interaction between my iPhone and the app, I can’t think of another analogous situation with any other app that would also be “fragile” like this. It doesn’t happen when I’m navigating with Google or Apple Maps.

Is this “fragile” behavior during syncing just the norm?

[tcriley]

I have the same thing when I upload observations from the IOS app too.

[tiwane]

Syncing in the app is only active when the app is open and active on your device. This is to prevent it from trying to upload in the background while you’re in the field, which would drain your battery - especially if you have a spotty signal. So syncing will stop if you open another app.

[gcwarbler]

I think the logical protocol will be to hold off on syncing until I have some “down time” and I’m not actively engaged with the natural world nor requiring the use of other apps (e.g. while still editing in Photos, or when I have to navigate or make a phone call). I know I can still queue up observations–a lot of them–while I’m hiking.