HOW TO

Move maps stored on an external SD card so they can be read by ArcGIS Survey123 on an Android device

Last Published: April 27, 2022

Summary

Due to changes in the Google Play Store, ArcGIS Survey123 version 3.12 and later must now use internal (scoped) storage on Android devices. For more information, see the article: Problem: An error occurred while updating ArcGIS Survey123 to version 3.12 on an Android device.

If using offline map packages that are stored on an external SD card, these must be moved manually to a new location that can be accessed by the app. The automatic migration process that occurs when updating to version 3.12 does not automatically move map packages stored on an external SD card to this new location.

From version 3.12, ArcGIS Survey123 can no longer access an arbitrary folder or file on an external SD card. Instead, offline content such as map and tile packages must be placed in a well-known folder that Survey123 has permission to read data from. On an external SD card, this folder is:

/Android/data/com.esri.survey123/files

Android automatically creates this folder when Survey123 is installed and an external SD card is present.

If you currently have offline map packages (TPK, VTPK, MMPK, etc.) stored on an external SD card that you are using in downloaded surveys, and they are stored at the root level or in a sub-folder, you must manually move these files to the /Android/data/com.esri.survey123/files folder on the SD card.

Note:
In version 3.12 it is not possible to add map library paths in the Map settings in the Survey123 field app on Android. The allowed map library paths are added by default, and the option to add new file paths is disabled.

Procedure

  1. In a file browser, locate the map packages on the external SD card. Map packages include TPK, MMPK, and VTPK files.
  2. Copy the map packages to the /Android/data/com.esri.survey123/files folder on the SD card.
  3. The map packages are now available for use in Survey123.

Article ID: 000025131

Software:
  • ArcGIS Survey123 Field App Android
  • ArcGIS Survey123 Website

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