Why are my forms suddenly directing to a captcha?

  • Brynn Delaney
    Asked on November 10, 2021 at 10:10 AM

    Hi there.

    I've been using Jotforms for some weeks now to track a serious medical condition I’m experiencing.

    In the last few days, sometimes I will submit a form and it will open a browser window requiring a captcha. I did not create or enable captcha on any of my forms. Nor can I seem to find a way to turn it off. Worst of all, the captcha doesn’t work. It idles without ever clearing even when I do try to use it. I have to close the window and this leaves the Jotform app frozen on a white screen. I’m forced to close the app and try again—often with the same result.

    My forms are unusable now and something that was extremely helpful for reporting information to my doctors is unavailable.

    Please help. I’m only using the app on my phone. No one else has access to the forms either.

    Jotform Thread 3499865 Screenshot
  • Hanne JotForm Support
    Replied on November 10, 2021 at 11:04 AM

    Thank you for reaching out, Brynn.

    Could you please provide the form ID, your username, or the email registered with your account? I am not able to find an account related to the provided email address.

    I look forward to providing further assistance! 

  • Brynn Delaney
    Replied on November 10, 2021 at 3:10 PM

    Account Email:

    cirrusmoth@gmail.com


    Forms:

    212836681800052

    212837069657063

    212836316024045


  • VincentJay
    Replied on November 10, 2021 at 3:33 PM

    Hi,

    Is the form embedded on a website? If yes, please share the website link so we can check it.

    Also, please check if the issue persists using the direct form link: https://www.jotform.com/form/212836681800052

    Is it okay if we submit a test submission?

  • Brynn Delaney
    Replied on November 10, 2021 at 4:46 PM

    No, I do not use the forms on any websites or via any browser. I only use the Jotform app on my phone. No other devices.

    Yes you may use this as a test submission.

  • Brynn Delaney
    Replied on November 10, 2021 at 4:49 PM

    The captcha verification using the link worked.

    Now why isn’t it with the app? And still: why is it being required when I never added or enabled the feature?

  • John Support Team Lead
    Replied on November 10, 2021 at 5:22 PM

    Usually, captcha appears if the form detects unusually high traffic from your network. So to prevent spam, it requires captcha to ensure it's a human that's making the submission.

    Could you please try using a different network e.g. mobile data? See if a captcha will still be triggered. If there's no captcha then most likely it's a network issue. You can share with us the IP address so we can try adding it to our whitelist. Here's a guide on how to identify your IP: https://whatismyipaddress.com/

  • Brynn Delaney
    Replied on November 10, 2021 at 10:45 PM

    My IP address:

    IPv6: 2601:1c2:e80:af30:9002:1d19:c4d8:bc6a

    IPv4: 73.157.238.42

  • Jessica JotForm Support
    Replied on November 11, 2021 at 12:40 AM

    Hello,

    I have whitelisted the provided IP addresses. Kindly try to submit test submissions again and let us know how it goes. 

  • Brynn Delaney
    Replied on November 11, 2021 at 10:43 AM

    Still happening

  • Niko_N
    Replied on November 11, 2021 at 11:09 AM

    Greetings Brynn,

    The captcha usually appears when there is heavy traffic or multiple submissions on the same IP address to prevent spammers.

    We've already whitelisted the IP address you provided.

    The only option to completely prevent the captcha field from appearing on the forms is to whitelist the account from the back-end. Unfortunately, we don't whitelist the free plan accounts due to security measures related to the possible spam.

    We apologize for the inconvenience.

  • Brynn Delaney
    Replied on November 11, 2021 at 1:18 PM

    So what you’re telling me is the form is now unusable?

    And why has this started now? I’ve had weeks of no issue and then this started. It’s not coming up after multiple submissions—but when I first open the app for the day to log the very first entry.

    I can create a new form, but this seems like a major design flaw when I am literally the only person using it and only from a single device via the app.


  • Amos_W
    Replied on November 11, 2021 at 1:49 PM

    Hi there,

    I'll pass your request to the team that's responsible for this issues,

    I'll keep you updated about their answer,

    Please let us know if you need any further assistance,

    Thank you

  • Amos_W
    Replied on November 11, 2021 at 3:25 PM

    Hi there,

    I got an answer from our review team and they have informed me that we, unfortunately, cannot whitelist your account as it is only for paid users,

    I apologize for the inconvenience,

    Please let us know if you need any further assistance,

    Thank you