Help Re: Notes and highlights disappear in JW Library app

[ChippyTheDuck]

Hi friends,

I'm older and yes, for the past years I've asked techy bros and sis in the congregation if they can help me with my device but so far no one has come up with an answer to fix this.

 

I'm using a Samsung Tab S7, updated and cache cleared at least every week, rebooted every 2-3 days.

JW Lib usually works as smooth as a freshly Zamboni'd ice rink.This tablet is my only device for all my studies on and has been backed up. I don't understand backup and restore well as you will see in problem 2 below. 

 

Problem 1 - Every 4 or 5 months (I don't know exactly) some, but not all of my personal notes on the Bible books simply vanish. This happens to entire books in the Bible  like not half or portions of a book. I just finished the book of Luke - it's wiped clean from yesterday like I've never touched it. I checked a few other books and some have lost all my notes but still have the little blocks of highlight colors ito the left of the scriptures, but the actual highlighted text and all my study notes are all gone.

 

This is so very disappointing as well as aggravating to the 10th degree, testing my desire to continue using this app and electronic study device. I spend hours researching how this keeps happening, asking friends  wriring the branch even, but it seems to be that each electronic device can have very specific issues which may not be solvable by the average user. So I know that out of millions of users  I'm not the only one having to troubleshoot problems that are too advanced for me. 

 

The 2nd issue is backup and restore. Is there an android app that can merge backups without rewriting or deleting current JW Library notes? This is my other dilemma. I've lost years of valuable time, notes and references and just need someone who can help me understand how often to backup, if that backup rewrites previous backups, and how to effectively restore after problems occur without losing current notes.

 

My hair is very gray, I have a heavy load caring for my dear husband, my own extreme health challenges and life is very difficult. Please offer kind help. I'm new here so will figure out how to follow this topic and respond in as timely manner as possible.

 

Thank you. 🙏

[Eryk]

Hi @ChippyTheDuck

I feel how frustrating this must be for you.

 

No doubt you've had some talented friends examine the issue and offer suggestions. Perhaps together we can all come up with some sort of plan...

 

So, to get a better picture:

• You mention you only have this one tablet. Have you noticed any sort of strange behavior with other apps on this tablet?
• Also, you say the notes vanish (no more highlighting on the scripture) and only the colored square marker ("sticky") to the left of the scripture remains. What happens when you tap on that "sticky" marker? Is there anything in the study pane at the scripture location? Is there even an empty note there? Does it have a title?
• Do you add notes to other publications and do they disappear also?
• What about the annotations in the comment fields (for the Watchtower study and Meeting Guidebook)? Do you notice those disappearing?

Regarding your backups, each backup has a date added to the filename, so you can make a backup every day and it won't hurt (if you have the space for it, of course). As to merging, I can help you with that down the road. Let's figure this "disappearing notes" thing first.

[ChippyTheDuck]

Hi Eryk,

Thank you for trying to help me. 

*I don't have problems with other apps on this device. 

*When I tap on the yellow little squares or stickies, none of my notes show up, no titles, nothing 

*My notes in other app publications are there,nothing has disappeared - just in some Bible books.

Annotations in magazines remain. Seems like it only affects my personal notes and highlights 

 

I hope this helps. Thank you very much 🙏

 

[Eryk]

Can you take a screenshot of a missing note with the study pane open at that location, please?

[➕👇 ꓤꓱꓷꓠꓵ🎵Tone]

Are you able to check your device storage use, used and free space?

I use a Tab 6, without any issues. However, I have installed a bigger SD card...

Sorry to hear that you are having this problem. It would be extremely frustrating. 

(PS Eryk has a "sync-backup" solution that works a treat!)

[ChippyTheDuck]

Yes, I have twice as much memory and storage than is used. 

Thank you.

[ChippyTheDuck]

52 minutes ago, Eryk said:

Can you take a screenshot of a missing note with the study pane open at that location, please?

Yes. Here is a picture of missing highlights. This one does have personal notes. I'm not sure which Bible book I was looking at for missing personal notes. I wish I would have jotted down the name of the book. Sorry. Also, a page from Luke which looks like none of the book has been studied at all. 

 

[Eryk]

Now, my sister, this is very important: when you say it looks like it hasn't been studied at all, you mean that there are no highlights? or that there are no note stickies?

Notes are associated with a verse (or paragraph) and are visible/accessible in any Bible (even a different language). Highlights are only visible in the Bible (publication) in which they are made. 

In your screenshot, I see the "New World Translation", which is different from "Study Bible". So, if you study (higlight) in the Study Bible, it won't show in the NWT (and vice versa).

So, go to the language icon and change to Study Bible and see if the highlighting is there.

[ChippyTheDuck]

Wow, I really wish this was the issue. I do use the Study Bible. I was so excited. Then I checked and it is the Study Bible where all my notes, stickies and highlight colors have vanished. And I think this is the 3rd time around I've studied and then lost all my personal notes and highlights. Anyway, here is the appropriate Study Bible screenshot.And thank you for helping me.

[Eryk]

OK. So it doesn't appear to be an issue with the different Bibles being used...

In the whole process of troubleshooting, have you reinstalled JW Library at any point?

 

And just to exclude this from our investigation: do you ever restore backups in JW Library?

 

Also, please try doing a highlight with and without a note at a specifil location in the Study Bible. Then restart your tablet and check that location to see if they note and highlights are still there. Please take screenshots before and after.

[ChippyTheDuck]

Hi again. 

Yes, I have lost track how many times I've uninstalled then reinstalled the app. I do that after I give up and start over. 

Backup and restore: this has been my second problem. (See Problem 2 on original post.)

I think one can see why I'm so close to tears trying not to lose all my precious research and notes in this app and wonder if I'm just meant to be a paper and pen person in this system of things. It's hard to keep my emotions in check using the app 

 

I wonder if it's all connected to jwlib updates. The reason I wonder about it is because Samsung no longer updates this particular device while the jwlib app always updates with new data. I don't know. 

 

I'll go do the highlight step. But if it is connected to app updates it other updates, this highlight step might not tell us much yet. I'll try though.

Edited yesterday at 05:02 PM by ChippyTheDuck

[ChippyTheDuck]

Hi, Eryk,

I screenshot a verse in Luke before and after a highlight and adding a note. Then I rebooted the tablet and took a screenshot of the same verse. No change.

[Eryk]

OK, so the note/highlight was correctly saved and preserved through a reboot. That's the way it should be.

 

As to the app updates, they should not hurt your personal data (notes and highlights).

What will affect your notes and highlights (etc.) is restoring a JW Library backup. To illustrate:
You make a backup that has no notes in Luke.

You add notes in Luke.

Something goes bad.

You reinstall the app and restore your backup. Now again you have no notes in Luke.

Restoring a backup does not merge what you had with what you have; it replaces everything to the state it was when you made the backup. So backups are a two-edged sword if not handled properly.

 

Now, the question still remains as to why these notes/highlights disappear. Is it a restore that has that effect, or is something else happening? Corrupt storage?

[ChippyTheDuck]

I think my brain is tired, Eryk. I need to rest for awhile. It's hard being older. 🛌