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dmg_2020's avatar
dmg_2020
Explorer | Level 4
6 years ago

Re: STILL can't get my Dropbox photos to show up in my Android gallery

Dropbox for Android (v176.2.8, tested with number of Android smartphones v9++)

...has a nasty issue - when a number of photos is exported (save to device, any folder chosen - Downloads, DCIM root, DCIM camera, etc, guaranteed to have no NOMEDIA) these photos would never appear in any 'recent photos', not picked up by phone's gallery or visible in any photo selection dialog - effectively they bypass the file registration system on Android. The file manager would see those pictures with correct file names and in a correct (chosen) location, those pictures could be opened from the file manager or via desktop/USB connection file explorer but they would not be visible with any of standard image access tools.

This is clearly a bug that must be fixed.

Is there a workaround to fix this?

8 Replies

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  • dmg_2020's avatar
    dmg_2020
    Explorer | Level 4
    6 years ago

    p.s. when I save a single photo (Export -> Save to Device) it would be visible in gallery app and in all photo/image selector dialog.

    It does not work when there is a selection of photos is saved

    Obviously, it is boring and really stupid to click and save every single photo individually, especially when you have few dozens to save...

  • Lusil's avatar
    Lusil
    Icon for Dropbox Staff rankDropbox Staff
    6 years ago

    Hi there dmg_2020, thanks for reaching out to us about this. 

    I'd be more than happy to help look into this with you, I'll just need a bit more info. For example:

    • Are you not able to see bulk exports consistently or is it only for a short period of time?
    • Do you experience the same behavior after you reboot your device as well?
    • Does this happen when you download files from your mobile's browser?

    Keep me posted!

  • dmg_2020's avatar
    dmg_2020
    Explorer | Level 4
    6 years ago

    It is much simpler than that.

    It does not depend on any timing, I just select let me say 10 images (jpeg files with standard .jpg extension) click 'export' -> 'save to device' -> choose folder ...

    the download process would start and the images WOULD BE saved in selected folder

    but those images WOULD NOT be available in standard LG gallery app, Samsung gallery app or even in Google's Photo App, they would never be available in any of 'open file/image selection dialogs'.

    Effectively, the saved images behave like they were stored in NOMEDIA-tagged folder while they are saved in a regular folder.

    If I will save those 10 images one by one using the same 'export' -> 'save to device' -> the same folder - they would appear in all galleries and selection dialogs.

    The devices I use are kept in a good condition, all updates applied, rebooted, plenty of available storage.

    I haven't tried web interface, just the native Android app - but thanks for the idea, the browser might behave differently.

  • Lusil's avatar
    Lusil
    Icon for Dropbox Staff rankDropbox Staff
    6 years ago

    Thanks for the detailed reply, dmg_2020!

    I'd be happy to create a ticket for you so that we have a more in-depth look on this together. 

    Before that though, could you try downloading from the web and let me know what you see?

    Thanks again!

  • dmg_2020's avatar
    dmg_2020
    Explorer | Level 4
    6 years ago

    Hello!

    I've tried to use the browser (Chrome, up to date version, Android) but it saves multiple selection as a single .zip file - so it works differently than App that saves files individually.

  • Lusil's avatar
    Lusil
    Icon for Dropbox Staff rankDropbox Staff
    6 years ago

    Thanks for trying that out for me, dmg_2020

    I've sent you a ticket to the email address connected to your Community profile, so please check your inbox and we'll take it from there. 

    Looking forward to hearing back from you!

  • dmg_2020's avatar
    dmg_2020
    Explorer | Level 4
    6 years ago

    Hello, Lusil!

    I can see your email and a link to zendesk but my correct username and password are not accepted -

    thank you!

  • Lusil's avatar
    Lusil
    Icon for Dropbox Staff rankDropbox Staff
    6 years ago

    No worries, dmg_2020. :slight_smile: I just saw your reply and have made sure to get back to you. 

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