diff --git a/emission/net/api/usercache.py b/emission/net/api/usercache.py
index d80cd03df..c16e62acc 100644
--- a/emission/net/api/usercache.py
+++ b/emission/net/api/usercache.py
@@ -29,6 +29,19 @@ def sync_server_to_phone(uuid):
     # logging.debug("retrievedData = %s" % retrievedData)
     return retrievedData
 
+def _remove_dots(entry_doc):
+    for key in entry_doc:
+        # print(f"Checking {key=}")
+        if isinstance(entry_doc[key], dict):
+            # print(f"Found dict for {key=}, recursing")
+            _remove_dots(entry_doc[key])
+        if '.' in key:
+            munged_key = key.replace(".", "_")
+            logging.info(f"Found {key=} with dot, munged to {munged_key=}")
+            # Get and delete in one swoop
+            # https://stackoverflow.com/a/11277439
+            entry_doc[munged_key] = entry_doc.pop(key, None)
+
 def sync_phone_to_server(uuid, data_from_phone):
     """
         Puts the blob from the phone into the cache
@@ -44,6 +57,10 @@ def sync_phone_to_server(uuid, data_from_phone):
 
         if "ts" in data["data"] and ecc.isMillisecs(data["data"]["ts"]):
             data["data"]["ts"] = old_div(float(data["data"]["ts"]), 1000)
+
+        # mongodb/documentDB don't support field names with `.`
+        # let's convert them all to `_`
+        _remove_dots(data)
             
         # logging.debug("After updating with UUId, we get %s" % data)
         document = {'$set': data}
@@ -51,14 +68,19 @@ def sync_phone_to_server(uuid, data_from_phone):
                         'metadata.type': data["metadata"]["type"],
                         'metadata.write_ts': data["metadata"]["write_ts"],
                         'metadata.key': data["metadata"]["key"]}
-        result = usercache_db.update_one(update_query,
-                                           document,
-                                           upsert=True)
-        logging.debug("Updated result for user = %s, key = %s, write_ts = %s = %s" % 
-            (uuid, data["metadata"]["key"], data["metadata"]["write_ts"], result.raw_result))
+        try:
+            result = usercache_db.update_one(update_query,
+                                               document,
+                                               upsert=True)
+            logging.debug("Updated result for user = %s, key = %s, write_ts = %s = %s" %
+                (uuid, data["metadata"]["key"], data["metadata"]["write_ts"], result.raw_result))
 
-        # I am not sure how to trigger a writer error to test this
-        # and whether this is the format expected from the server in the rawResult
-        if 'ok' in result.raw_result and result.raw_result['ok'] != 1.0:
-            logging.error("In sync_phone_to_server, err = %s" % result.raw_result['writeError'])
-            raise Exception()
+            # I am not sure how to trigger a writer error to test this
+            # and whether this is the format expected from the server in the rawResult
+            if 'ok' in result.raw_result and result.raw_result['ok'] != 1.0:
+                logging.error("In sync_phone_to_server, err = %s" % result.raw_result['writeError'])
+                raise Exception()
+        except pymongo.errors.PyMongoError as e:
+            logging.error(f"In sync_phone_to_server, while executing {update_query=} on {document=}")
+            logging.exception(e)
+            raise
diff --git a/emission/tests/netTests/TestBuiltinUserCacheHandlerInput.py b/emission/tests/netTests/TestBuiltinUserCacheHandlerInput.py
index 3d024be06..3f504af8e 100644
--- a/emission/tests/netTests/TestBuiltinUserCacheHandlerInput.py
+++ b/emission/tests/netTests/TestBuiltinUserCacheHandlerInput.py
@@ -14,6 +14,7 @@
 import uuid
 import attrdict as ad
 import time
+import copy
 import geojson as gj
 # This change should be removed in the next server update, by which time hopefully the new geojson version will incorporate the long-term fix for their default precision
 # See - jazzband/geojson#177
@@ -273,6 +274,77 @@ def testTwoLongTermCalls(self):
         self.assertEqual(edb.get_timeseries_db().estimated_document_count(), 120)
         self.assertEqual(edb.get_timeseries_error_db().estimated_document_count(), 0)
 
+    def testRemoteDots(self):
+        test_template = {"ts":1735934360.256,
+                  "client_app_version":"1.9.6",
+                  "name":"open_notification",
+                  "client_os_version":"15.5",
+                  "reading":{
+                      "additionalData":{
+                        "google.c.sender.id":"FAKE_SENDER_ID",
+                        "coldstart":False,
+                        "notId":"1122334455667788",
+                        "payload":1122334455667788,
+                        "content-available":1,
+                        "foreground":False,
+                        "google.c.fid":"FAKE_FID",
+                        "gcm.message_id":"FAKE_MESSAGE_ID"}}}
+        test_1 = copy.copy(test_template)
+        self.assertEqual(len(test_1["reading"]["additionalData"]), 8)
+        self.assertIn("google.c.sender.id",
+            test_1["reading"]["additionalData"])
+        self.assertIn("google.c.fid",
+            test_1["reading"]["additionalData"])
+        self.assertIn("gcm.message_id",
+            test_1["reading"]["additionalData"])
+        mauc._remove_dots(test_1)
+        self.assertEqual(len(test_1["reading"]["additionalData"]), 8)
+        self.assertIn("google_c_sender_id",
+            test_1["reading"]["additionalData"])
+        self.assertIn("google_c_fid",
+            test_1["reading"]["additionalData"])
+        self.assertIn("gcm_message_id",
+            test_1["reading"]["additionalData"])
+        self.assertNotIn("google.c.sender.id",
+            test_1["reading"]["additionalData"])
+        self.assertNotIn("google.c.fid",
+            test_1["reading"]["additionalData"])
+        self.assertNotIn("gcm.message_id",
+            test_1["reading"]["additionalData"])
+
+        metadata_template = {'plugin': 'none',
+                         'write_ts': self.curr_ts - 25,
+                         'time_zone': u'America/Los_Angeles',
+                         'platform': u'ios',
+                         'key': u'stats/client_time',
+                         'read_ts': self.curr_ts - 27,
+                         'type': u'message'}
+
+        # there are 30 entries in the setup function
+        self.assertEqual(len(self.uc1.getMessage()), 30)
+
+        three_entries_with_dots = []
+        for i in range(3):
+            curr_md = copy.copy(metadata_template)
+            curr_md['write_ts'] = self.curr_ts - 25 + i
+            three_entries_with_dots.append({
+                'user_id': self.testUserUUID1,
+                'data': copy.copy(test_template),
+                'metadata': curr_md})
+
+        print(f"AFTER {[e.get('metadata', None) for e in three_entries_with_dots]}")
+
+        mauc.sync_phone_to_server(self.testUserUUID1, three_entries_with_dots)
+        # we have munged, so these new entries should also be saved
+        # and we should have 33 entries in the usercache
+        self.assertEqual(len(self.uc1.getMessage()), 33)
+        self.assertEqual(len(list(self.ts1.find_entries())), 0)
+        enuah.UserCacheHandler.getUserCacheHandler(self.testUserUUID1).moveToLongTerm()
+        # since they were munged before saving into the usercache,
+        # there should be no errors while copying to the timeseries
+        self.assertEqual(len(self.uc1.getMessage()), 0)
+        self.assertEqual(len(list(self.ts1.find_entries())), 33)
+
 if __name__ == '__main__':
     import emission.tests.common as etc