Version 5.0.0 of Diving Log for Android has been released, which now targets Android 11, as required by Google. This has been a challenging release, because Android 11 does not allow apps access to the general file system anymore. Up to now, Diving Log stored the logbook files in the “Diving Log” folder in the root of the device. This folder was not deleted when the app was uninstalled, so your logbook files were not deleted either.
Android 11 requires storing all data within the internal app folder, which is deleted when the app is uninstalled. So, this requires some strategy to avoid accidentally data loss, e.g. when a user temporarily uninstalls the app because something doesn’t work.
Previous logbook location
New logbook location
Phone/Android/data/com.divinglog.divelog/files/Logbook
When you update from a previous version of Diving Log, you do not have to do anything. Diving Log will migrate all logbooks to the internal folder and automatically backup the logbooks from time to time to the former external “Diving Log” folder (which won’t be deleted). A “!!!FolderMoved!!!.txt” file is created in the old folder as indicator, which contains the path to the new folder.
Once you do a fresh install of the app, you have to manually select a backup folder to avoid deletion of your logbooks during uninstall. You can do this from the start screen shown below. You can also restore your logbooks from a previous backup folder. You can later configure the automatic backup in the app settings screen:
 Start screen with backup and restore options |
 Configure backup in settings |
Tip: You can select the backup folder on a removable SD Card, because you can easily retrieve the card even when the device does not boot anymore. Please remember, this automatic backup is still only locally on your device! So, if your Android device is lost or damaged, it won’t help you. Additionally, you should backup your logbook to the cloud or a PC.
Diving Log 6.0 can handle both logbook locations, so USB synchronization will work, no matter which Android app version you have.
You can see the current logbook location at the top of the “Logbook Management” screen. You can also use this screen to import any backups into the internal app logbook folder, if you’ve dismissed the start screen restore function:
 Logbook storage path |
 Import backup files |
The old folder is now unnecessary and can be deleted? What is with the storage space for images? Does this now also have to be in the installation folder? I assume when manually syncing via OneDrive, the file must now be copied to the new folder?
Hi Andy
Great question! The old folder is used after the update as automatic local backup folder, so Diving Log will automatically copy your logbook from time to time from the internal folder to the old “Diving Log” folder as a backup. When you delete this folder or when you do a fresh install of the app, you have to manually pick a folder if you want to use the automatic backup function.
Another problem are pictures. The previous versions stored images which where shot with the camera from within Diving Log in this folder. Version 5.0 and newer will store images in the “Pictures/Diving Log” folder instead.
There is no automatic migration of images, so before deleting the folder, you should copy the pictures to the new location. But this will break the link to the full resolution images in the logbook, so you either have to stick with the low resolutions or re-add the images.
Regarding OneDrive: I think you have to use the “Import” function from the logbook management screen in Diving Log to pick the file from OneDrive. This will automatically put it into the right folder. The OneDrive app probably cannot store anything directly into the internal Diving Log folder, because apps are isolated from each other.
Hi, Thank you for your response.
I never used the OneDrive App. I have a Samsung Smartphone and use the Samsung Filemanager. It is able to access OneDrive and the folder of the Apps. Possibly a good hint for others?
The “Import” is really good hidden. However, it would be nice to have some more option to sync. Dropbox don’t work – I have only troubles with that.