App storage

Managing device storage space
Mobile devices have a limited amount of space to store data for applications like mWater Surveyor. This storage is shared between all apps and must be managed in order to ensure the proper functioning of mWater Surveyor. When the storage is almost full Android or iOS will notify the user by asking them to remove some application data. 
There are two main ways to do this: 
1) Reducing the size of mWater Surveyor data
2) Removing other apps or data

Reduce the size of mWater data

The storage settings page in the settings tab allows you to automatically downsize all images taken by the app to reduce data usage
As cameras on newer smartphones improve, the images they produce can take up a lot of storage space on your phone, as well as use up your data when the app syncs. The mWater Surveyor now allows you to automatically downsize your images as soon as you take them. You can also clear any images that are stored from your submitted surveys and sites to free up space on the phone. If you have a custom app configuration, you can control the image size setting for your users (contact us for more information about custom configurations). 

Reduce the size of images taken by the app

  1. Go to the Settings tab and click on Storage Settings.
  2. Under "Maximum Image Size," click on the dropdown.
  3. Choose one of the settings below "Full Resolution." 
Keep in mind that smaller images will have lower resolution and there is no way to go back to full resolution once the photo is taken.
The Storage Settings page in the Settings tab
The Storage Settings page in the Settings tab
Options for reduced image sizes
Options for reduced image sizes

Reducing the size of images waiting to upload

If you choose a reduced image size but still have a large number of images that need to be uploaded, you can compress the images already on the phone before uploading them. This will reduce the time and data required to upload your images.
  1. Choose a reduced setting for the Maximum Image Size (see previous section).
  2. Click on Compress images awaiting upload (this button appears if you have images that have not been uploaded).
  3. Wait until you see the "Compressing images complete" message. Remember: do not leave this page or let the phone go to sleep while compression is taking place.
Compressing images waiting to upload
Compressing images waiting to upload

Clearing cached data on the device

The app needs to store data about sites and surveys, as well as related images, so that you can view site pages and the history of surveys done. This 'cached' data is usually not a problem and is managed automatically by mWater. If you are concerned about running out of space on your phone, you can easily keep track of how much storage the app is using, and reduce it, by going to the Storage Settings page. 
Image Storage
Since images take up much more space than all other data, there is a separate area to manage image storage. To reduce the amount of space taken by images on your device, click on Clear Image Cache. Only images already uploaded will be deleted. Surveys and sites will still work properly, you will see an empty box where the image would normally be.
Data Storage
This includes any data other than images, such as site information, submitted surveys, and issues. To reduce the amount of space taken by this data, click on Clear Cache. This will not affect images, and only data that has already been synced will be deleted.
Image and Data Storage settings
Image and Data Storage settings
mWater is grateful to the Scottish Government's Climate Justice Fund and the University of Strathclyde for supporting the development of this feature. Contact us to learn how you can work with us to expand the features of the platform. Last updated July 2018

Managing storage space of other apps


Android

Method 1
WARNING: THIS PROCESS PERMANENTLY REMOVES DATA FROM OTHER APPS, PLEASE ENSURE THAT YOU DON'T REMOVE ANYTHING THAT YOU DON'T WANT TO. THIS CANNOT BE UNDONE.
mWater is not liable for any data deleted in this way.
  1. Click the "Play Store" app
  2. Click the 3 bar icon in the top-left
  3. Click "My apps and games"
  1. Click "Installed" to see all installed apps
  2. Select "Storage" to see which apps are using space
  3. Select the checkbox next to the apps that you would like to remove
  4. Click "Free up X MB" 
  5. Click "Free up X MB"to delete these apps
Method 2
WARNING: THIS PROCESS PERMANENTLY REMOVES DATA FROM OTHER APPS, PLEASE ENSURE THAT YOU DON'T REMOVE ANYTHING THAT YOU DON'T WANT TO. THIS CANNOT BE UNDONE.
mWater is not liable for any data deleted in this way.
  1. Go to "Settings"
  2. Scroll up and click the search bar and search for "Storage"
  3. Select "Internal storage"
  1. Select the type of data that you want to delete
  2. Select the apps/photos/or videos that you would like to delete.
  3. Click "Clear data"
  4. Click "Ok"

iOS

WARNING: THIS PROCESS PERMANENTLY REMOVES DATA FROM OTHER APPS, PLEASE ENSURE THAT YOU DON'T REMOVE ANYTHING THAT YOU DON'T WANT TO. THIS CANNOT BE UNDONE. 
mWater is not liable for any data deleted in this way.
  1. Click the "Settings" icon
  2. Scroll up to enter into the search bar "Storage"
  3. Select the "Storage:General" icon
1. Select which application you would like to delete data from
2a. Click "Offload App"
OR
2b. Click "Delete app"