when trying to open a form in ODK Collect. They see the following pop-up message:
Form can't be used
This form cannot be opened right now because forms are being updated. Please try again shortly.
This issue is intermittent across team members: on my own device, the form opens and functions without any issues, but several field enumerators consistently hit this blocking pop-up.
2. What context / form setup is involved?
XLSForm features: Uses ODK Entities, multiple choice filters, and heavy conditional logic(applying 1 in 3 doors with up to 3 attempts methodology).
Behavior: The error persists for affected enumerators even after waiting.
3. What steps have you taken to try to solve it?
Verified that the form loads correctly on my test device.
Had enumerators wait and restart ODK Collect, but the message reappears.
Verified device internet connection to ensure background sync can run.
Currently using last version of odk central
Would appreciate help since we have started fieldwork data collection
That message shows up when Collect is busy updating forms in the background. Forms that use Entities can't be opened while that's happening, because the entity lists they rely on may be changing. Normally it clears up on its own after a minute or two.
You mentioned the enumerators waited without it helping - roughly how long was that? If it's still blocked after 10–15 minutes, that's a strong sign Collect has got itself stuck rather than genuinely still downloading something.
If that's the case, it's worth asking one of them to try Settings → Apps → ODK Collect → Force stop, then open the form again. That's different from just closing and reopening the app. What we'd like to know is whether the form keeps working after that, or whether the message comes back after a few minutes.
this may be an entirely different behaviour and probably isn't a fix for your case, but worth trying.
I have had a device hang forever apparently still syncing, but if I exited from Start new form to project home and then reopened Start new form, the sync would be complete and show updated 'added on' timestamps.
Thank you everyone. I tried "Settings → Apps → ODK Collect → Force stop" and it worked. I don't know why the form wasn't refreshin with new data. only after the Force stop the matter was fixed.
Thanks for checking that. Good to know it solved your problem, but force-stopping the app shouldn't be required. That might indicate that there is something wrong with the app. We'll try to investigate it.
