iNat app (Android) crashes when uploading edited images

Bug Reports
1

Platform (Android, iOS, Website): Android

App version number, if a mobile app issue (shown under Settings or About): 1.30.8 (601)

Screenshots of what you are seeing: I’m not sure of what exactly could I take a screenshot. Please read description first. If you’d like some specific screenshots let me know and I’ll provide them.

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: I take photos with my phone (Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra) or camera (OM-1). Eventually I get all of them on my phone (from camera via bluetooth).

Step 2: I slightly edit photos with Samsung Gallery Editor. That includes mostly cropping, sometimes also brightening etc.

Step 3: In some cases I geotag photos on my phone in OI.Share or Photo EXIF Editor.

Step 4: I create a new observation in iNat app (+ symbol), choose media type (gallery symbol), choose source (Samsung Gallery), choose photos and submit.

Step 5 (bug occurs): For a brief moment it is normal (white screen saying “Importing photos…”). Then the app closes with no alerts or messages. It happens only for particular photos (sometimes 1 photo out of 20, sometimes even 5 of 10) and I don’t know why.

Step 6. I open the app again. I can see that the observation was added automatically, but…:

  • if the crashed photo is first of a group of photos - none of the photos gets uploaded, obs. is empty;
  • if the crashed photo is in the middle of a group of photos - previous photos get uploaded and subsequent photos don’t get uploaded.

Step 7. The issue is easily replicated. If the app crashes on this cursed photo, then I can try 10x to reupload it and the result is always the same.

Step 8. I’ve also found a way to “fix” it. I find the cursed photo in the Samsung Gallery and make some insignificant change (like add brightness +1% or crop by 1 px). I reupload the photo and it is just fine.

The bug has occured for the first time few months ago (and I’m using the same phone and apps for over a year).

So, are my photos cursed??? Did any of you had a similar problem and found out what’s the source of it? Fingers crossed for the solution, as dealing with this bug is very time-consuming.

Best regards,
Michał

2

The step is not related to the origin of the photo, eg the phone (Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra) or camera (OM-1) or the edits done on the photo? The bug happens with photos from both sources?
Maybe you should share some cursed photos if the bug persists. If you have 20 of them you should search for a common edit on all photos…

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3

Are you storing them in a weird format… or perhaps storing them in an editors format?

Is the Pictures metadata being broken while editing the photos?

What format are they in?

4

is your cursed photo larger than 20MB? the system won’t accept files larger than that, and i’m not sure if the app will give you a message to tell you this. editing the photo might result in a slightly more compressed and therefore smaller file that allows it to fall below the threshold.

if that doesn’t sound like the problem, the best thing is to generate log files by going to the screen that shows the app version and tapping the version number 3 times. if you’re comfortable examining the files yourself, you might be able to find a relevant error message in there that will reveal the problem. otherwise, you can send the file to iNat staff and they can parse through it for you.

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