# Task Agent for Android — What's New **Version 2.0** · Requires Android 7.0 or newer Task Agent has been rebuilt from the ground up. It is the same job — the same tasks, the same forms, the same offline workflow — but on a new foundation, with a brand-new map. Screens look different and the map behaves differently, so this is worth a read before you start. --- ## Before you upgrade **Upload all of your completed work in the old app first.** Offline data is stored differently in this version. Anything finished on your device but not yet uploaded may not carry across. Go online in the old app, upload everything, confirm it has landed on the server, and only then install the new version. If you cannot get a connection or the upload will not finish, **contact support before upgrading** — do not uninstall the old app. Two other things to expect: - **You will need to sign in again.** Your old session does not carry over. - **You will need to re-download any offline areas** you were working in. Devices on Android 6 or older cannot run this version. --- ## The map The biggest change in the release. The mapping engine has been replaced entirely. - **Markers are far easier to tap.** You no longer have to zoom right in before a marker will respond — tap targets are sized to your finger and adjust as you zoom, so markers are tappable as soon as you can see them, without grabbing the wrong one when you are zoomed in close. - **Tapping stacked markers** now gives you a list to choose from instead of picking one at random. - **Layers and boundaries draw immediately** when you apply them. Turning a boundary off and back on now works — previously it would not reappear until you panned the map. - **Your own position** is shown separately from work markers and no longer disappears or duplicates when you toggle labels or refresh. - **Marker colours and shapes** follow the task definition, so work types stay easy to tell apart. - **Placing and moving tasks** is more reliable. If your device has no GPS fix yet, "move to my location" now does nothing instead of dropping the task in the wrong place. - The map remembers where you left it. ## Finding work - **Search and filters are much faster**, especially filters with a long list of values. - **You can now search Poles and Pole Violations**, not just tasks — each with their own markers and detail views. - **An overlay button** lets you show one type on top of another, for example violations together with poles. - Filters stay put as you move between screens. ## Working offline - **A task that cannot be checked out no longer breaks the download.** Previously one unavailable task could throw up a pop-up for every page of results — dozens to dismiss — and leave you stuck on the download screen with no way out. The download now skips that task, finishes normally, and tells you once at the end what was left behind. - **No more false alarms.** That end-of-download message now only appears when something is genuinely missing. Downloading the same area twice no longer warns you for no reason. - **Tasks you create in the field appear straight away** on the map and in search, instead of vanishing until they upload. - **If your connection drops as you submit**, the task is saved as completed on your device and uploads next time you go online. You get a clear message instead of an error. Genuine problems reported by the server still show as errors. ⚠️ **Unchanged and still important:** choosing **Go Online** while you have pending tasks clears local data. The app warns you first. Upload before you switch. ## Photos - **Photos survive the phone closing the app.** On busy or low-memory devices Android sometimes shuts the app down while the camera is open. Previously the photo was lost. Now it is attached to the task as soon as the camera closes, and reopening the app puts you back where you were with the picture in place. - **The photo-library prompt now appears when you tap the gallery button**, not when you open the app. If you were in the habit of dismissing that prompt at startup, you will get a proper chance to allow it when it actually matters. - Thumbnails load much faster. - Fixed: photo counts not updating, missing thumbnails on the summary screen, duplicates when adding several photos in a row, and notes not staying attached to a photo. ## Forms and editors - Required, hidden and read-only fields now display correctly. - On list editors, **Delete** changes to **Done** while you are deleting, and **Add** and **Copy** are hidden rather than visible but unresponsive. - Copying list items and templates works properly. - Date, picker, multi-select, text area and toggle controls have been rebuilt or replaced. - **Barcode scanning** now uses your device's built-in scanner — faster, and it no longer crashes the app. ## Signing in - **Single Sign On** with your normal work account, including multi-factor authentication. - The app stays signed in properly between sessions. If the old app kept asking you to log in, that is fixed. ## Speed and stability - **The app is noticeably faster to start** and no longer feels sluggish for the first minute after launch. - Panning and scrolling are smoother, particularly on long lists and on the map. - A large number of crashes and stuck screens have been fixed, including a long-standing problem with pop-up windows. - Crashes are now reported automatically, so problems get to the team faster. --- ## If something goes wrong Contact your usual Alden support channel, and include: - Your **version and build number** — Settings → About - Your device model and Android version - What you were doing at the time - Your **Application Logs** — Settings → Application Logs Crashes are reported automatically, but knowing what you were trying to do is what makes them fixable.