#1 – First, update your system and app, and backup your data ..
– run the ‘Settings’ app, search for ‘updates’, tap ‘System update‘ or ‘Software update‘ and apply an update if one is available
– tap the ‘Android/Apple install/update app‘ button at https://trilobite.solutions and update the app if prompted
– backup your trails & locations – see https://trilobite.solutions/backups/
#2 – App is laggy, unresponsive
– you might have accumulated too many trails
– ALL trails and locations are held in memory while the app is running, hence the app can get short of memory if you have too many
– reduce the number of trails that show walking vs driving – the multi-colouring of trails can have a high impact on performance
– delete trails/locations that you no longer need
– as a last resort reinstall the app, but backup your trails & locations first – see https://trilobite.solutions/backups/
#3 – Charged twice for a subscription
– this can only happen if you have multiple Google accounts or Apple IDs
– on each device, tap the MENU icon (3 bars) then tap ‘Manage subscriptions‘
– note carefully which subscriptions you have purchased
– all app users require the App subscription
– see Manage subscriptions for more information
#4 – GPS – ie. tracking – problems
When recording your trail, your phone should be receiving a GPS location every 5-10 seconds. If you are producing a trail with long straight lines, then you are not getting all these updates. You might only be getting GPS updates when your phone’s screen is not blank. Check that your location settings are correct (see below) and that your phone has a clear view of the sky, for example do not sit in your vehicle with your phone in your trouser pocket. Solutions follow.
– restart your phone or tablet, if you haven’t already
– uninstall all other mapping apps to see if they are the problem (except preinstalled apps)
– check that the blue circle appears at your location in ‘Google Maps‘ or ‘Apple Maps‘
Apple devices:
First: upgrade the app to version 2.4.3 or above, if you still have a problem then ..
– WiFi-only iPads do not have GPS hardware so will not locate you in remote areas where there are no communications towers
– run the ‘Settings‘ app and check that the Trilobite app has access to your location ALWAYS, and PRECISE location is enabled.
– do not set ‘Apple satellite’ as your base map when in the field
Android phones/tablets:
– run the ‘Settings‘ app and check that the Trilobite app has access to your location
– with some phones, run the ‘Settings‘ app, and tap ‘Location‘ – there may be a battery-saving setting that prevents the GPS being used. Ensure that this is NOT set.
– in the ‘Settings‘ app, tap ‘Location‘, then ‘Location mode‘ and turn on GPS device ONLY (seen on a ZTE/Telstra phone)
– install the ‘GPS status & toolbox‘ app, then run the app while outside to check that your GPS is connecting to multiple satellites. See video #9 at https://trilobite.solutions/maps/videos/ for help with using this app
All devices:
Two general tests:
If nothing above helps, run 2 simple tests before you go into the field –
1. when you go for a drive, put your phone on the dashboard of your car (so it has good visibility of the sky), and record your track.
2. record your track while walking and holding the phone in front of your chest (so it has good visibility of the sky)
– you can also repeat the tests above when you arrive in the field
– as a last resort reinstall the app, and if that does not help, factory reset your iPhone, but backup your trails & locations first – see https://trilobite.solutions/backups/
#5 – Problem with using ‘Satellite imagery’ layer on iPhones in the field – iOS 15 & 16
– when there is no mobile reception, and no satellite imagery is available for your viewing area, the overlay map – eg. ‘WA current tenements’ – disappears, as well as the satellite imagery.
– solution 1 (simple): download a geology map for your state or area before going into the field, and set this as your base map when you are in the field.
– solution 2 (simple): in the app menu, choose to ‘Download satellite imagery‘ and set this as your base map when you are in the field.
– solution 3 (advanced): use QGIS to save satellite imagery for your area to your phone – see #5 at https://trilobite.solutions/maps/videos/ Use this as your base map when in the field
#6 – Telstra/ZTE/Hauwei phones won’t download maps larger than 2GB
– ZTE (Telstra tough) phones and possibly Hauwei phones have this problem
– there is a get-around – please use the ‘Contact Us’ form to report the problem
#7 – Android phones – ‘you are currently offline‘ – play hot air balloon?
12 May 2024 – Version 2.4.2 is now available. Update your app via https://trilobite.solutions/
Description:
– when Google Play presents this screen, customers cannot get back into the Trilobite app
– test for this before going into the field by putting your phone into flight mode and then starting the Trilobite app
– if the screen says ‘Play while you wait‘ like shown below, then Google is prompting you to play a game. This is usually ‘Hot Air Balloon‘.
#8 – iPhone/iPad cannot connect to the internet
– ‘Manage downloads’ displays ‘List not available – do you have an internet connection?‘
– first check that other apps can connect to the internet – if so go to the next step
– in the ‘Settings‘ app, tap ‘Mobile‘ and check that the Trilobite app is enabled
#9 – Problems downloading maps, generally
– restart your phone
– do a search on your phone (eg. ‘fossils’) to ensure that you have an internet connection – check that photos appear in the results as well as text
– check that you have sufficient available storage space on your device
– download a small map – eg. ‘TAS resources’. If OK, try larger maps.
– if failing with WIFI – switch off WIFI and try downloading using your mobile data
– if failing with mobile data – switch off mobile data and connect to WIFI
#10 – Android only – Error while retrieving information from server df-dferh-01
– run the ‘Play Store‘ app, tap your photo at the top right, then ‘Manage apps and device‘. If there are any updates pending for any Google services or apps, then update them.
– run the ‘Settings‘ app, tap ‘Apps and Notifications‘, scroll down to ‘Google Play services‘, and clear the storage and the cache.
#11 – You have a new email address – do you need to create a new Apple ID / Google account?
No, you don’t need to, and having multiple accounts creates problems with subscriptions. Instead, keep using the account/ID that you already have, but forward all notifications to your new email address.
Apple device – change the contact email address for the Apple ID – see –
https://support.apple.com/en-au/HT202667
Android device – forward all emails from your Google account to your new email address – https://support.google.com/mail/answer/10957?hl=en#zippy=%2Cturn-automatic-forwarding-on-or-off Your Google account must end in ‘@gmail.com‘ to do this.
#12 – Your ‘Contact Us’ request has not been replied to within 2 days
– you probably typed your email address wrongly
– submit another request – ensuring you have entered the correct email address !
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