App crashes ipad when importing from sd card. Card gets corrupted. Data lost

[highlandarr]

When I try to import from a SD card with Lightroom Mobile app, the iPad restarts and the card is corrupted, making the card unreadable and losing all data. 

Hardware:

- iPad Pro with lightning connector. 
- apple lightning sd card reader

- sandisk extreme pro 128GB SD card

software:

iOS 14.6

lightroom mobile app 6.3.0

[Charlie.D]

Hello @highlandarr 

We have tried to reproduce this issue and cannot.  Have you tried: 

1. restarting your iPad?

2. try another SD Card (maybe the card itself is defective)

3. see if Apple's Photo app has better luck working with your card (another check to see if the SD card is in good shape or not)

If you find that this seems specific to this card, try doing a full (not quick) format of the card.  A full format will take longer but may smooth out some functional issues.  I see Sandisk has more info here, which is helpful if you have a Windows PC: https://kb.sandisk.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/14827/~/using-sd-formatter-tool-to-restore-full-capac...

If you have a Mac, the Disk Utility app can do the same thing -- with your SD card selected, choose Erase and make sure in Security Options that you enable the secure erase option

[leifn73219812]

I have the exact same issue. I am abroad and thought it be smart to backup my pictures. After approx 15 pics (out of 350) my iPad starts rebooting. The very sad part is that my Nikon camera can not read the card anymore, neither will Lightroom accept it and no further import is possible. So my issue is about how to rescue what is on the card not so much about the reader. Any solution to that? Brgds Leif

[Charlie.D]

Hello @leifn73219812 

Lightroom uses iOS platform APIs in a read-only way, and it sounds like you experienced a hardware failure with the memory card during the read operation.  If your camera can no longer read the card at all, I would leave the card alone until you get home when you can try to recover files.

There are tools on the internet that advertise that they can recover files from corrupt memory cards.  My own experience with a card that went bad in my Canon camera is that the tools I tried couldn't make my Mac or Windows PCs recognize the corrupt card.  You might have better luck, maybe your problem is not a total hardware failure like I had, I'm not sure.  There may also be businesses that can recover files for you.

If your Nikon is a model with dual memory slots, I recommend buying two cards, recording images to both for backup/redundancy.  Wishing you luck, and hoping the rest of your trip is good!

[leifn73219812]

Thank you. I hope for the best and I plan to do what you recommend.

Brgds Leif

Skickat från min iPhone

[leifn73219812]

Hello again. I was lucky and when I came home I was able to recover everything with a software called "AnyRecover". All of it...

Brgds Leif

[artemp40719532]

Actually I have a rather close proble. And I thing you need to investigate that issue. As the easiest way to say to clients - it is your fault. But it is frustrated for me to loose my photos second time. I already have second time situation like that with 2 different cards from different producers. I have m-10r. After a day of shooting have like 250+ photos. The are all were viewed on camera. So definitely stored on card. After inserting sd card to sd card reader I am starting importing photos from card. It import 50 photos and after say that 200 are not imported. I can then go to files app and see that all files from that 200 photos are 0 kb. I only hope to try to recover them wtih my mac, when return to home. But this is all strange. After first time I thought it is sd card problem. But now it seems to be lightroom mailfunction. What can you to to resolve thar?

[Charlie.D]

Hello @artemp40719532 

Sorry for the slow reply.  I spotted your comment just now.

When you initiate a direct import in Lightroom iOS, are you choose From Files, or From Camera Device?  It does sound like you are using From Files.  Please try From Camera Device -- this can read from your attached camera memory directly, without having to go through Files.  I believe I heard from developers ages ago (iOS 13 era) that the iOS APIs used for the Files path vs the direct memory access path differ, and accessing memory directly is more stable and robust.  My hunch is that From Camera Device might work better for you especially as the number of photos to import increases.

[mountaintreemedia]

Copy to iPad then import into Lightroom