Slow playback when streaming with AVPlayer

Hi iggypop, 

There are several factors that could affect playback speed on external platforms. Since playback speed on external platforms is beyond our control, we recommend checking:

• Network connection issues (bandwidth limitations, ISP throttling, congestion, etc.)
• Platform-specific playback optimizations or limitations
• Browser or device performance
• Resolution and file size impacting buffering times

You may want to try testing playback on different networks, clearing your browser cache, or lowering the resolution settings on the platform you're using.

Hello

thank you for you answer! We are accessing the video from an own OS app. If we access the same video through the official dropbox app, then it runs fine. What do we need to consider? Can we somehow affect the playback quality (eg just 480p)? Many thanks  

iggypop, as previously mentioned, it’s important to note that the official Dropbox app may use different mechanisms and infrastructure for various pieces of functionality compared to other platforms. As such, comparing the behavior between these platforms may not always provide an accurate or reliable source of truth.

That said, besides the previously suggested troubleshooting steps, you could always reach out to the other platforms' support teams for further guidance on optimizing performance.

Hello

thank you for your answer!

What do you mean with „you could always reach out to the other platforms' support teams for further guidance on optimizing performance“? Our iOS App is not really able to play most of videos with acceptable quality, however the official dropbox app is. Therefore we need some kind of guidance to solve this problem.

iggypop,

Since video playback is working as expected on our platform, the issue may be related to the iOS app's implementation. We recommend further troubleshooting on your end, as we are not iOS developers and cannot provide specific guidance for Apple development.

The only other thing we can suggest from our end is making edits to the shared links, as described in: https://help.dropbox.com/share/force-download

Additionally, you may want to check factors such as:

• How the video is being loaded and played within your app
• Any platform-specific restrictions or optimizations in iOS
• Network conditions or caching behaviors affecting playback

If needed, consulting Apple’s developer documentation or seeking guidance from iOS development resources may be helpful.

The problem is not only in the app but also in Safari when opening the links obtained with getTemporaryLink. rlkey=YYY&st=dop7lgeglong time to load.

https://XXXXX.dl.dropboxusercontent.com/cd/0/get/ZZZZZZZZZZZ/file

When we use links obtained through the usual sharing mechanism and add “raw=1” to them they display the same behavior. Video loads slowly

https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/XXXX/ZZZ.MP4?rlkey=YYY&st=dop7lgeg&dl=0&raw=1

eg we used this link, but it is slow....

https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/3kv1n4r0d9odx4gtbornr/GX010667.MP4?rlkey=ufmmjtu9c49ah0c7pvogc8d92&st=dop7lgeg&dl=0&raw=1

(VLC takes long time to load as well)

iggypop 

I tested the link you provided across multiple environments, including Chrome, Safari (both regular and private browsing), VLC, a test iOS app, and a test React web app, but I wasn’t able to replicate the loading issue you described. The video played without any delays in my testing.

One thing I noticed—although it doesn’t appear to make a difference—is that you’re adding both dl=0 and raw=1 to the shared URL when it should be one or the other.

Please test this 

https://uc50d65f08fef20931cddc0fc937.dl.dropboxusercontent.com/cd/0/get/Clt6g4ydXcBg9C3W7b0Y82en3P3vx7e0r-oMcikRgCLnKx3pzS65GXUmED6pYZXFR5ji7gHIjzXSqKWad45aRGLw8xKWFtkxoyjCPDzhOrmrpBI-6hyENDti8QzxutZo_-OFOAf7XUdee47LsibUD-dwrtn3CnoxIh4PIEIN6TNBZg/file

Hi iggypop, looks like the link has expired.