ODK Collect v2026.3 Beta: reference geometry, Android 8.0+, keyboard improvements

Releases Pre-releases
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We have an exciting release coming for you! We currently believe it will be out mid-July. Check back for updated betas as we get closer to release.

Why we do betas

ODK Collect betas are an opportunity to get community feedback on upcoming releases. If you have an ongoing data collection campaign, we recommend quickly verifying your form on a test device. We will keep sharing new betas as we respond to your feedback and will let you know when the beta is a release candidate.

Joining the beta program

To join the beta program, find ODK Collect in the Play Store on your device (not in the web browser) and scroll all the way down. Please don't join the beta with a device or account actively used for data collection! In particular, note that joining the beta is account-based. If you use the same Google account across multiple devices, do not join the beta with that account.

Leaving the beta program

You can leave the beta program from the bottom of the Play Store listing at any time. Once you leave, you will get the next production update when it is released. If you need to go back to the previous production release, uninstall and reinstall the app. Please make sure to back up or submit any important data.

What to check in this release

  • :world_map: Reference geometry for geotrace or geoshape. Try it with ref_geo_demo.xml (3.3 KB) which demonstrates using an Entity List or a repeat as sources for reference geometry. XLSForm support is coming soon. Learn more.
  • :globe_showing_asia_australia: osmdroid library removed. If you use OpenStreetMap, Carto or USGS basemaps, we recommend trying this beta. Learn more.
  • :keyboard: Less keyboard movement. While filling out a form, the keyboard now stays on screen when navigating between questions that need the keyboard.
  • :robot: Android 8+ now required. This will allow us to take advantage of more modern operating system features. Older devices will continue to have access to Collect v2026.2 in the Play Store. Learn more.
  • :blue_circle: Blue dot indicator for current location. More bold than the prior crosshair and in line with modern map interfaces.

Additional testing
You can find a full list of changes in the release notes:

Thanks to all testers for your help!

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Display existing geometry when capturing new point/trace/shape on map
Collect v2026.3: changes to how OpenStreetMap, USGS and Carto basemaps are displayed
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First reactions

  • Great if there are geometries near you / where you are capturing, otherwise can't jump to extents of all existing / can't see them if they are small and not close to you. But this seems logical as they shouldn't be relevant to current capture if distant.
  • Can't yet interact with them, eg tap existing to get a label etc for basic info about it (eg is this existing geometry related to what I was about to capture or something different)
  • Seeing 'as you go' values from the repeat I think will be very helpful to provide context to continuing collection, easier to spot gaps / prevent dupes - will this combine with preexisting values in an entity list and be differentiated to tell them apart?

Will let it percolate in my brain some more. Interested to hear @seewhy's thoughts related to his paths & trails

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We have now released a second beta! One big change to note in this release is that the OpenStreetMap, Carto and USGS basemaps are now being displayed by the Mapbox mapping engine. You can read more about this change here. If you use those basemaps, please be sure to test and give us any feedback you may have.

I haven't tried this yet but I think it's possible if you add repeat instances for existing values. Those would only have calculates in them so would not be user-visible. I think you'd have to use a dynamically defined repeat count to make it work. I don't think it will be usable with much more than a couple hundred existing Entities! You can add calculates with property names for styling in those repeat instances.

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Just tried...
This is a really nice improvement :star_struck:

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