LDS Tools not working after latest update

Hello,

I updated my LDS Tools app the other day and upon opening the new version, I am prompted to login and sync. Although I had just synced a few days prior to installing the update, it seems like everytime I update the app I n required to re-sync so this didn't seem abnormal.

Unfortunately, after providing my credentials to sync, the update process only makes it about 60-70% through before informing me that "LDS has stopped" and offers the option to restart or send feedback.

Sunday I was receiving a message that LDS Tools service was down for maintenance (seems like the worst day to choose for maintenance...) and Monday I just get the crashing behavior.

I suspect the issue is with the latest update as things were working properly before I applied it. Please pass this feedback to the appropriate development team. If they are researching the issue, it may be good to revert the update to the previous version until the latest release candidate had been properly tested.

Thank you!

Edit: This is Android 7.0 updating via Wi-Fi and 4G

tysonjg wrote:Sunday I was receiving a message that LDS Tools service was down for maintenance (seems like the worst day to choose for maintenance...) and Monday I just get the crashing behavior.

I suspect the issue is with the latest update as things were working properly before I applied it. Please pass this feedback to the appropriate development team.

Two things. The LDS Tools service was down Sunday and I do not know if it came up later that evening on sometime Monday.

And this is a user-to-user forum with no way to send feedback to the development team. To do that, use Feedback, either at one of the LDS,org pages or through the LDS Tools app.

And in the I can't count to three department, the Down for Maintenance page is a little misleading. It shows up any time the server has trouble rendering the page, even if the real reason is that the site is too busy at the moment. Knowing that, the usual solution is to try again. Of course, that would not have worked Sunday because the service was not working. It would be nice if the error messages were a little more clear.

lajackson wrote:Two things. The LDS Tools service was down Sunday and I do not know if it came up later that evening on sometime Monday.

We brought it up at 5:15 PM on Sunday.

I am having this same issue. My app tries to sync and gets about 70% done and then says LDS tools app has stopped. Any help you can give me to get logged back in to my lds tools?

Thanks for the feedback.
Unfortunately, on Wednesday evening (almost 4 days later) I am still finding that the LDS Tool app is crashing when attempting to sync. I uninstalled and reinstalled the app and the same behavior persists.
(This is on Android 7.0)
It seems like there are quite a few people being impacted by this issue. I can definitely state that the issue did not appear until I updated to the latest version of LDS Tools.
I would recommend the development team roll back their latest change to the previous, stable version, until they identify the change that introduced the bug.

Both my phone and my husbands will not work after we tried to sync. We also have Android phones (8.0). I know that this is affecting many people. We have also tried to uninstall etc...It starts to sync and then stops. Please look in to this for us! We use this app frequently for our callings.

I sent the following to lds-tools-android-group@ldsmail.net as directed by one of the pages and it came back "does not exist." I don't think this is directly to support, but I'll post here while I look for a more direct way to contact them, as I am experiencing similar to the above...

I have been having a syncing problem for a little over a week... and not this type of syncing =o)

[Link to off-topic video deleted]

One day I opened LDS Tools and clicked the option to sync it. There was a problem - I don't recall if it was the same error I'm getting now, but it would not sync. Since then I have tried it using wi-fi and cell data, tried it at the church and at home, uninstalled and reinstalled it multiple times both from the phone, from Google Play, and from the link to Google Play that is at LDS.org, restarted my phone and done all the above, I can log into my LDS.org account and do everything there including view Directory information, I logged out of the LDS.org account and retyped the password to make sure I am entering the correct one on the phone... that's all I can think of now that might be relevant.

I'm using a Samsung Note 8 phone and Android 8.0.

I think I've tried everything suggested on the LDS Tools for Android page, so it says to now contact you. Please let me know if there is any additional information you need. I use this app a lot in my calling and am anticipating having it again =o)

goanddo wrote:I sent the following to lds-tools-android-group@ldsmail.net as directed by one of the pages and it came back "does not exist." I don't think this is directly to support, but I'll post here while I look for a more direct way to contact them, as I am experiencing similar to the above...

The best way to send LDS Tools feedback and make sure it gets routed to the correct place is using the in-app feedback under Help > Contact Us.

When I sent feedback through the app, it went to LDSToolsSupport@ldschurch.org which should work if you cannot send feedback through the app. There should be a file on your phone called SyncError.log that would be helpful as well if you are able to send it. But using the feedback link in the app also sends important information about your device that helps to troubleshoot the problem.

That said, I can assure you that those who need to resolve this issue are painfully aware of the problem and are working diligently to solve it.

Not sure if this helps everyone - but here are a couple of pieces that may help:

1. It appears that those in leadership positions (like Elders Quorum Presidency or Relief Society Presidency) who have expanded access to ministering are experiencing the syncing problems. The problem does not appear to be universal Android.
2. The feedback I received back from technical support was that the Android services are experiencing some difficulties and that I should use the BETA version until it is fixed.
3. The BETA version is working for syncing and worked on both my devices (phone and tablet).

Hope this information is helpful for others.

As an update:

In my initial post, I stated that the inability to sync/the app crash issue arose after updating to the latest version of LDS Tools. While that statement is accurate, after perusing the app's reviews on Google Play Store, it is evident that this issue has been plaguing users since at least late December. My ammended hypothesis is that the cause of the problem is associated with a change made to the user authorization token (in December?) and that change is not compatible with Android LDS Tools, which in turn causes the crash.

Those whose authorization token needed renewed in December got the updated token first and consequently encountered the crash first, while those us who had a valid token lease were fine with the updates until our token expired and we were renewed with an incompatible token.

I concur with the other users who have suggested this impacts those with leadership callings, likely in connection with access to Ministering assignments for other Ward members.

Anyways, just passing this hypothesis along in hopes it might help the development team pinpoint and resolve this issue.

tysonjg wrote:after perusing the app's reviews on Google Play Store, it is evident that this issue has been plaguing users since at least late December.

There's been a few changes. The big one was when HT/VT (with lipstick to make it look like Ministering) was shut down in favor of the new Ministering services. LDS Tools prior to 3.5 no longer worked. But 3.5 only ran on newer platforms, shutting out those with older phones.

This problem is different and came about in the past week.

Where can I find the beta version while we all wait?

cclawson wrote:Where can I find the beta version while we all wait?

Go to the Google Play Store and search for LDS Tools. Select the current app.

Scroll down until you see a paragraph about becoming a beta tester. Select the link to join. Of course you may select the read more link first, if you wish. It will explain the process and also tell you how to leave the beta at a later date.

The page will update to tell you you are being registered as a beta user and that it will take a few minutes. In my case, it took almost 15 minutes, which I found surprising, but I have never done this before so it may not be that unusual.

After a "few minutes" the top of the page will show you are now a beta user, and the top right box will change to Update. Update. When the box changes to Open, the beta version of the app has installed.

Open the app, and yes, you will have to sign in and sync.

I did all of this late this morning. The sync worked.

Going back to the regular version of the app is not difficult. Go back to the Play Store and read the instructions at LDS Tools.

Same problem here and I too have a leadership calling so that very well may be the problem. I will try the beta version as the previous post suggested. I have Android 8.1.0 and it is up to date. I have a Moto G5 Plus and lds tools version 3.5.3. I have cleared the cache, cleared data, and finally reinstalled the app. Still no luck. It Starts to sync and then at the end it says that the app has stopped working or that lds services are unavailable. I have gotten both of these responses but the "app stoppped working" has been more common.

Same problem. Please help! Thanks.

dev88ros wrote:Please help!

The problem seems to have been solved in the beta. For various technical reasons, it is unlikely that the current released version will be fixed.

So it appears you have two choices. Join the beta or be patient and wait for its release to production. Unfortunately, the beta release to production process is a lengthy one.

There may be an estimate of how long it will be sometime tomorrow, but no one will be pleased with the answer. The beta is still being tested. It has to be validated, it has to be released into the Play Store, and there are many other steps I do not even know about.

I do know that they are trying to get it all done as soon as possible. But they need to make sure it is done properly.

I have been trying for a couple of days to sync LDS Tools, can’t get it to sync on my iPhone 7, my wife has the same issue on her iPhone 7?

I can’t seem to get the LDS tools app to work. I’m getting kicked out after signing in. It’s trying to sync and then shuts down. What’s up?

I cannot sync LDS Tools (Member Tools), so it won't let me into the app at all. It says "Preparing to Sync" for about a minute, then says "Tools is not available". Anybody else having this issue?

brad.j.savage wrote:I cannot sync LDS Tools (Member Tools), so it won't let me into the app at all. It says "Preparing to Sync" for about a minute, then says "Tools is not available". Anybody else having this issue?

There were some issues going on when you posted your message. It is working again.

I can't open my LDS tools app,it keeps closing on me.
How do I get it to reopen.

behiveut wrote:I can't open my LDS tools app,it keeps closing on me.
How do I get it to reopen.

I suspect that since you mention the unsupported LDS Tools instead of the current Member Tools that perhaps what you have installed is out of date. Also note the minimum Android Operating system is version 5.5.

After I recently synced my phone I could no longer get my missionary progress report. I am the ward mission leader, and I need access this info. Befote I synced my phone I could access the missionary progress report. What shiuld I do?
Please help. [Personal contact information removed]

jackromineus wrote:What shiuld I do?

Try syncing on a day other than Sunday. That's a very busy time and information may be missing in the sync.

I just purchased a Galaxy S20+. I installed LDS tools and cannot get it to sync with my account. I keep getting a message "Tool service not available. Please try again later "
I have been trying for 2 days and get the same message. Please advise.

I am having the same issue as others on Android. It think it is not recognizing my username and password as valid even though they are. There is an issue in this version of the application and it needs fixed by the developers or the server authentication configuration.

tigec wrote:I am having the same issue as others on Android. It think it is not recognizing my username and password as valid even though they are. There is an issue in this version of the application and it needs fixed by the developers or the server authentication configuration.

For what it's worth my wife and I both are as well. Like you said, it's not recognizing our passwords (or usernames) as valid.

There was an issue with the service earlier today but it has been resolved.

scgallafent wrote:There was an issue with the service earlier today but it has been resolved.

Thank you!

After applying the update my LDS tools has stopped working. This makes it very difficult to do my calling as a Bishop. Is there any way I can just reinstall the old version. It was working great.

I looked for a way to reinstall version 3.6, I could not find it. Here's a link to what I sent in to the "Contact Us" address about my problem-do you see something similar?
viewtopic.php?f=116&t=33221&start=10#p210182

The message I get is that the app has stopped working. I uninstalled and then reinstalled and it worked for a few hours and then stopped working again

I have the same exact problem as rjquinn. It is making my entire phone unstable. I get the "app has stopped working" message even when I am not using it. So there is something still running in the background that is competing for system resources with what I am running in the foreground. PLEASE FIX IT ASAP!

cmilliner wrote:PLEASE FIX IT ASAP!

Neither developer nor decision makers visit here. At least not reliably. You need to send feedback via the app. It will include information about your install so they have more information about your device.

SAME EXPERIENCE! I have had and used LDS Tools for a couple years, but today, it said I need to update before August 31, but today is Sept 6th. So I attempted to update, it won't; so I deleted app and attempted to to download again. And now it is stuck on the "update page" and won't open anything! And given the note above, that no one "reliably" looks at our comments and feedback must be via the app THAT WON'T OPEN! I guess use of LDS TOOLS is done.

Firstly it is now called Member Tools! Secondly it is Sunday and all sorts of weird things happen to data syncing and accessing Church websites. This is an over simplification of what usually happens on Sundays.

If you cannot open the app and need to contact support then send an email to membertools@churchofjesuschrist.org. Be sure to include device type, operating system and version, and version of Member Tools.

It appears there were some glitches with the latest update. I also received the "you must update by" with a date several weeks old, along with the pop up after every phone call that Member Tools had stopped working. I am guessing that is because I have Caller ID turned on and the phone calls were triggering a crash in Tools. (The caller ID function has not worked very well for a long time for me.)

The proper answer is to send feedback to the Global Services Department. But I will give you a freebie answer from them that worked for me. Of course, since I sent feedback they had the benefit of the technical information from the app that documented the crashes. So your results may vary.

The GSD suggested three options. They were each intended to reset the app. The first one worked for me.

1. Turn off the mobile device completely, wait a couple of minutes, then turn it on again. Rebooting will reset the app.
[I did a restart. That obviates the undefined "wait a couple of minutes", but as IO said, it worked. I would have done the off and on again next.]

2, Delete the app, wait a few hours and then download it from the Play Store. The wait time is crucial to ensure that the old version isn't pulled back up.
[This tells me that there were update and/or syncing problems with the new version.]

3. Go to the More Menus> Settings > Refresh Data.

The GSD said if the problem persisted to let them know. As I mentioned, the first option worked for me. I would have done #3 next, and saved #2 as a last resort.

And if none of this works, you guessed it. Send feedback to the GSD, preferably through the app.

How do I use beta version on my android Samsung S10 Galaxy phone? As a of August 30th I have not been able to sync or update my LDS tools on my phone. It always comes up that th is not working. Ps I Used this app a lot, as I am a Relief Society president. Can you help me resolve this issue?

scifipam55 wrote:How do I use beta version on my android Samsung S10 Galaxy phone?

If you go to the Play Store and call up the app as if you were going to download it, you can scroll down a ways and find an opportunity to join the beta. If you do that, and there is a beta version out there, you normally will receive it within a few hours.

I have tried syncing member tools twice in the last 7 days and it will not sync, it says it is un available? Seems odd when I can access the internet for other apps.

shawnsbw wrote:I have tried syncing member tools twice in the last 7 days and it will not sync, it says it is un available? Seems odd when I can access the internet for other apps.

It synced just fine for me this evening (8:37 pm central time). Member Tools version 4.1.0-(101452.5) on Android 9. Are you using any filtering tools on your device? Some other threads have indicated that the filtering services tend to block the church servers for some reason.

This problem is also happening on iPhones. I don’t have a leadership calling that would give me additional access to information, but I am still experiencing the same things others have mentioned.

I'm on android. Join and updated to beta in google play store and it is working now.

Tools is now failing following the android 10 update on my Galaxy tab A tablet. Like many others, as the ward clerk I need to have a solid portable Tools device. anything in sight??