Available for beta testing: Zotero for Android

17891012
  • Can someone tell me what's the minimum Android version for Zotero Android?
  • @haidar47x it's Android 6(sdk 23).
  • @kwmullet when you download an attachment it will be available offline. It's not saved in a temporary cache, but into an internal apps folder. So it won't be deleted if you did "clear cache" against the app. Also there is no timer in place to delete such attachments if they haven't been used for a while.
  • @Peauline Can you please go to apps settings and turn on debug logging and then try downloading an attachment again and then stopping logging. this should give you the debug id.
    Please create a separate forum post describing the issue again while also mentioning this debug id.
  • @DimaP,

    Your answer that downloaded documents will stick locally when offline is, to me, the best of all possible answers. I'm really looking forward to kicking the tires more on this release. You guys have just made my Boox tablet worth about twice as much!

    Thanks again,
    -KwM-
  • edited September 22, 2024
    Question: Is there a local cache? If I've downloaded a document in a collection recently, and I'm using Zotero Android offline, would it still be there?
    @kwmullet: Yes, files you open are currently downloaded and stored on device permanently, unless you use one of the options to remove them. We'll probably offer more sophisticated local cache management in a future version.
  • Will early access open for more users anytime soon?
  • @dstillman one question. It's nice to open webpage attachment on Zotero Android, but we can't annotate that webpage like we do on PC. Will that be a planned feature? Thanks.
  • @dstillman
    Zotero (beta 1.0.0-97) webdav has an http configuration option, but it can't connect to a server with http URLs
  • Base directory for attachments in Zotero Android aka Custom location

    Thank you for the work on Zotero Android. I sync my attachments using Syncthing and use for that a custom directory on my PC and on my android phone. I use Zoo for Zotero that allows to point out custom locaiton for attachments. How to do the same in Zotero Android? In Zotero for PC I use base directory for attachments.
  • @atnoir,

    On the remote chance you haven't tried this workaround for needing an annotatable copy of a web page, you could print to PDF, add that to your Zotero entry and annotate that.
  • @dstillman
    The LAN NAS WebDAV address I configured on iPad is http://192.168.3.34:8081/zotero/, What is the WebDAV address should be configured for Zotero (Android beta 1.0.0-97) , thank you
  • Will there be an option to download my entire library? I mean having the option to directly download all the files and have them updated in the same way as the computer version does? (Without having to open them one by one, I think it would be very convenient for those who have tablets or phones with enough memory). (I do not have access to the beta, I was just wondering abou it)
  • @dstillman, When I use the Zotero for Android (Samsung Notebook), the note pages behave slightly differently when I try to take notes for books I do not have as PDFs. What I mean is when I complete typing or writing the note, the note file seems to jump multiple lines down on the page. When I open these notes in the Zotero app on my PC, I can see those multiple lines. I edited the document on the PC, and the edits were taken when I opened up the Zotero AP on my Android. Could you fix this bug so I do not have to do multiple pieces of work? If you need further details or images let me know.


  • So far my experience with webdav support is great and it really makes the Android app practically useful. As yet another Boox user, I was wondering if it is (or will be) possible, to open attachments in another app and annotate them there. It may be related to the previously discussed feature of Custom location? The Attachment options are currently to Remove download, Remove, and Move to standalone attachment. I am hoping for something like "Open in ..." functionality.
  • @distillman Thank you for the pointer and apologies for missing that post in the thread. The Export functionality would suit my workflow just fine, as I prefer to keep two copies, clean and annotated, of pdf files anyway. I tested uploading attachments from my Boox into Zotero app and it works perfectly, including syncing the changes with the desktop.
  • @DimaP , @dstillman,

    as I haven't found a search function to only search in this discussion I am sorry in case there is an answer to the following question:

    Is there a risk of losing new entries or any data entered in browser zotero.org when we enter new entries in Zotero for Android simultaneously?

    My scenario is as follows:

    1. Start Zotero for Android; wait until it has synchronized from zotero.org
    2. With a browser add new entries to zotero.org
    3. Immediately add new entries or change other entries in Zotero for Android
    4. Wait until it has uploaded changes to zotero.org;

    Best regards
  • @echo21echo21: No, syncing syncs changes from both sides. Unless you're editing the same items, you don't need to wait for one side or the other to sync, and you're at no risk of losing data.
  • Not able to read 12 pages of comments so sorry, if my topic has been already discussed.
    You've done the great job, really. Android app, at last.
    But:
    1. Is it possible to make annotations, highlights and all that stuff in PDFs visible in other pdf readers, such as Acrobat? And is it possible to access downloaded stuff by second-part readers?
    2. Built-in PDF reader doesn't work good when one wants to read a document in horizontal layout - pages jump up and down.
    3. Editing tools not always work from the first time.
  • edited 29 days ago
    I wonder if annotating ebook files will be supported...?
    In the recent version, attached ebooks at least are able to be opened, but by an external app and not inside Zotero.
    It would make sense to also annotate them as in Zotero on the Desktop, but that is not listed in the 'Not yet implemented' features in the first post.
    Let's hope annotating ebooks (epub) inside Androids Zotero just like PDFs will happen soon :-)
    // edit: sorry, it seems I overlooked that it is mentioned somewhere as 'planned'. Maybe it's a good idea to update the first post in order to include recent developments.
  • Hangs when highlighting pdf text
    I Use a boox note 3 Version 2023 12-12_20-36_3.54687b1901
    Since a few days , I can only add a single highlight to a pdf document. If I try to add a second one , Zotero hangs, and I have to restart it.
  • @Dopplereffekt
    I do agree to pay 1 dollar for the app. However, users in China are not able to download the app from Google shop. So if we must pay for the app, please give some external ways for chinese users to download.
  • I doubt Zotero is going to make the app for pay. They've said that for people in China and otherwise unable or unwilling to use the Google Playstore, they'll release an APK version once it's out of beta.
  • @Dopplereffekt @adamsmith to add a donation option within the app may sovle this problem.
  • edited 26 days ago
    A donation option will not help (it might actually complicate things): the reason why the app is only available in Google Playstore at the moment is to control the number of users of this beta version. This is not about money, the developers are not yet ready to support more users. When they are, the app will become available through other channels as well.
  • @YeqiaoMGmong preferrebly host an f-droid repo so it can support automatic updates!
Sign In or Register to comment.