Glitched deletion of observation

[duncanross]

Platform: All. Although perhaps related to the Android app?

App version number: 1.21.10 (477)

Browser: Firefox app on phone and computer

URLs: https://inaturalist.nz/observations/73180862

Screenshots of what you are seeing:
Screenshot 1: Image showing the ‘My Observations’ screen from the Android app.

Screenshot 2: Image showing an ‘Observation’, specifically the ‘Information’ tab, designated ‘Coprosma crassifolia’ but which has ‘No Media’

Screenshot 3: Image showing an ‘Observation’, specifically the ‘Comments’ tab, but which has no comments

Description of problem:

Step 1: go to https://inaturalist.nz/observations/73180862

Step 2: it doesn’t exist anymore

Step 3: ???

I have been having a conversation with a local botanist in one of my observations, learning about how to properly distinguish between small-leaved Coprosma sp.

I used the phone app this morning to check up on this discussion. I opened the app, went to my observations, saw that there were comments on my observation (https://inaturalist.nz/observations/73180862) as per the number 5, with a pink comment banner, so tapped it to view. It didn’t load. I tapped my back button and got to the list of my observations, and noted that the observation looks as appears in Screenshot 1 above (it’s the second observation in the list). Clicking on the observation looks like Screenshot 2, and then clicking the comments tab looks like Screenshot 3.

I have emailed the log files (from several minutes after the bug occurred).

This observation clearly existed in the past, but some glitch seems to have caused it to disappear into the abyss. It still exists on my phone, somewhat, but ???

I’d really like to at least get the latest comment back, rather than asking the person to repeat themself via PM.

Cheers.

[kiwifergus]

It looks like the observation has been deleted, but your phone still has the basic observation details cached. When you try to retrieve the substance of the comments etc, it can’t find them. You can bring your phone back into sync by dragging down from the top observation listed, which will resync with iNat and then the deleted observation will no longer be present on your phone. I doubt there is any way to retrieve the contents of that last comment, so you might need to ask the person via a direct message what it was…

I can understand wanting things to be neat and tidy, and can also understand wanting to delete things that have had mis-IDs or comments that are no longer relevant etc, but personally I prefer to keep them there… they are a record of the ID history, the learnings that have taken place, and a good indication to others that perhaps the taxa involved is one of the more difficult to deal with. That is useful information! IMO of course…

[duncanross]

I did not delete this observation. Also the observation does not disappear when I refresh the observations screen.

As stated in the opening comment, there has been some kind of glitch.

[tesgeorge]

I have something related that I’ve noticed with some IDs being deleted from my observations, specifically three that I’ve found so far are:

https://www.inaturalist.org/observations?place_id=any&subview=map&taxon_id=125389&user_id=tesgeorge&verifiable=any

https://www.inaturalist.org/observations?place_id=any&subview=map&taxon_id=5227&user_id=tesgeorge&verifiable=any

https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/48692741

Each of these were research grade, and I checked on the app (iOS) and there are notifications on the “My Content” tab under Activity that show they were IDed, but when they are clicked on the app, it flashes the other user’s ID and then disappears, but never says ID withdrawn on any of them.

I haven’t noticed any of my own observations/ID’s being deleted, but maybe this is related

[fffffffff]

Well, id could be just deleted?

[duncanross]

Mine was also research grade, confirmed as C. crassifolia by two people.

[tesgeorge]

Oh, I didn’t know that was possible without showing the ID as withdrawn

Thank you

[fffffffff]

You need to click on edit and there you can choose delete.)

[duncanross]

So this observation of mine is likely just gone? Surely this is some kind of bug?

[bouteloua]

Hi @duncanross, I’d hold tight until an iNat staff member is able to take a look. In some cases they can retrieve deleted/missing content. If you sent the log files I’d follow up on that email with a link to this bug report if you haven’t yet.

[duncanross]

Thank you! I will do that.

Cheers

[tiwane]

I sent your log file to our Android developer, hopefully they can find something in it.