Zottle

Collect on mobile

Two ways to collect in the field: the browser on any phone, with nothing to install, or KoboCollect / ODK Collect for offline work with photos and file storage.

Collect in the browser

Open the collection link in any mobile browser. Questions are shown one at a time, with a progress bar and Back and Next buttons.

Signed-in team members can also fill a form from Help & Support → Collector Setup: each form has a Fill online button, and the submission is recorded under their account.

Set up KoboCollect or ODK Collect

Install KoboCollect (or ODK Collect) on the phone from its app store. In Zottle, open Help & Support → Collector Setup; it offers two configurations:

  • Config A — Scan the QR code: in the app, tap the menu → Configure → Scan QR code. The code carries the server address and your username; the password is never embedded — the app asks for it on the first sync.
  • Config B — Manual setup: paste the Server URL into KoboCollect → Configure → Server settings → URL, then type the Username shown. Managed surveyors may not have an email address — use exactly the username displayed.

Password: your Zottle account password, typed once on the device and stored only there — the platform never displays it.

When the app first connects, the server requires a username and password: a sign-in prompt at that point is normal, not an error.

Warning

Enter the username and password on the first sync — without them, submissions are accepted as anonymous and no surveyor is recorded on the data. If the app reports an incorrect username or password right after you save the URL, it usually means no credentials were sent: check that the Server settings screen was saved rather than the password itself.

Download the forms

After the first sync, your assigned forms appear automatically inside KoboCollect. You can also download a form file directly from Collector Setup with Download XML.

Collect and send

Fill the form on the phone — connected or not — then send it when you are back in network range. Answers stay on the device until the submission is sent, and the server confirms receipt.

Photos and other media captured in the form travel with the submission as file attachments. The server advertises a 100 MB limit per submission to the apps.

If your workspace allows anonymous collection and a project or form exposes a public link, Collector Setup shows it under Config C — Anonymous link (no account). Copy that address as the Server URL and leave Username and Password empty: the link signs nobody in and submissions arrive anonymous.

If the app refuses the server address

  • Use the exact Server URL from Collector Setup — the same address you use to open Zottle in your browser, with nothing after it. Never add a query string (for example an old ?workspaceId=… suffix).
  • A single sign-in request is normal; but if the app keeps looping on a "server requires authentication" message, check the address first: a query string makes the app stop sending its credentials, and the symptom is exactly that loop.
  • Check that the form is live: only published forms with a live deployment are served to the app.

Next steps