SnappingTrail Collect — field survey collection
This manual explains how to use SnappingTrail Collect to collect survey responses in the field, online or offline. It is organized from first use to more advanced situations — you can read it end to end, or jump to the section you need to consult.
SnappingTrail Collect is a professional application for conducting field surveys. You — the interviewer — use the app to open surveys configured by your contracting company, apply the questions to respondents, and send collected responses to the server when you have internet.
The app works with or without a connection. You can spend the whole day in low-signal areas and still collect all responses normally; when the device is back online, you send everything at once.
To use the app you will need:
When you open SnappingTrail Collect for the first time, you will see the Settings screen. This is where you connect the app to your company's server.
In the Company code field, type exactly the code your company provided. It is usually a short name (for example, acme).
After entering the code, tap Validate. The app queries the server to confirm the company exists and fetches the required configuration.
If validation succeeds, a message confirms the company registration. If it fails, check that you typed the code correctly and have an internet connection.
After validating, tap Save. The app takes you back to the Login screen. Tap Sign in — an authentication screen opens in the device's browser. Enter your email and password and confirm.
After signing in, you will see the list of Projects available to you.
On the Projects screen, tap the project you will work on. Each project has one or more active surveys.
Inside the project, tap the survey you want to apply. The app loads the questions and shows the collection screen.
Each question can be of a different type:
Use the Previous and Next buttons to navigate between questions. Answers are saved automatically on every change — you do not need to press "save" for each question.
On the last question, tap Finish. The interview goes into the sending queue.
If you were interrupted mid-interview (phone call, device crashed, respondent had to leave), the app saves the draft automatically. When you come back, you will see the option Continue last interview — tap to resume exactly where you left off.
If you will spend time in a location without signal, go to Settings and turn on Enable Offline Collection. This keeps your credentials saved on the device, allowing you to open the app without logging in again.
When you sign in with internet, the app automatically downloads:
This content stays saved on the device. You can conduct interviews normally without an internet connection.
Before heading out to a location without signal, it is good practice to update the catalog:
Each project shows a line "Synced X ago". If updated recently, you are ready to work offline.
With the catalog downloaded and credentials preserved, you can:
Finished interviews stay stored on the device awaiting submission.
Tap the cloud icon in the top bar to open the sending queue. There you see all collected interviews not yet sent to the server.
With the device connected to the internet, use the screen's sending controls to transmit the interviews. You can send all at once or select which ones to send.
After a successful send, interviews disappear from the queue. If a send fails (no signal, server error), the interview remains in the queue and you can retry later.
Described in section 5. Keeps login preserved between openings without requiring authentication. Leave it off if you prefer to sign in every time you open the app (safer on shared devices).
By default, the server addresses (API and authentication) are filled in automatically from the company code. If you need to point the app to custom servers (rare, typically only in special cases directed by the contracting company), turn on Advanced configuration — the fields become editable.
The app starts in English. When you validate your company code, the language may switch automatically to the language configured by the company (Portuguese, Spanish, French, among others).
The code is provided by the company that contracted the survey. Contact your survey coordinator. Neither your password nor SnappingTrail support can recover the code.
The password is managed by your contracting company's system. On the browser login screen, look for the password recovery option — there is usually a "Forgot password" link that sends a reset email.
No. Answers are saved automatically on every question change, even without internet. You can finish the interview normally offline, and it will stay in the sending queue until you have a connection.
Pull the Projects list downward to force a sync. If an expected survey is still missing, confirm with the coordinator that the survey is actually active in the system.
Fully close the app (swipe from recent apps) and open again. If it persists, restart the device. If it still persists, contact support.
Interviews not yet sent are stored only on the device where they were collected. Before uninstalling the app or switching devices, send all pending interviews to the server.
For technical questions about the app, contact: lsouzaf@snappingtrail.com
For questions about your surveys (questionnaire content, target audience, collection deadline), speak directly with your contracting company's coordinator.