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How to Share a DropBox Folder with Someone on IOS?
I have a DropBox Professional account, and want to share a folder so people can open it in on iPhone/iPad. They have installed the DropBox app on their devices. I have specified their addresses as shared links in the folder I want to share. I don't see any option inside the DropBox app to receive shared files.
All the information I have seen is how to share from iOS to someone else. I need it to go the other way around,
Can someone point me to instructions for this?
wrote:
I was able to "share" the folder by sending the link to others.
And this is where we believe the problem is. Sending a link to a folder is not the same as a Shared Folder. A Share Link is a view-only method of sharing. Anyone that adds the content of a Share Link to their Dropbox will be creating their own copy of that content.
A Shard Folder allows you to give others edit access to your files. You need to add members to the folder first, specifying whether they have Edit or View access, and they'll receive an email or a notification within the Dropbox app on their phone.
When they open the Dropbox app and tap the notification, they'll be able to add the shared folder to their own Dropbox, if they have enough room in their account. This copy of the folder is synced with all other members of the share. Any changes they make within it will sync back to everyone else.
Make sure you read through both help articles (linked above) to understand the differences between a Share Link and a Shared Folder.
17 Replies
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Hi Rich,
I appreciate the time you have taken to help me out. But I wish that right up front I could have been told that DropBox does not support true sharing with iOS devices at this time. Only being able to access "shared" folders via a e-mail, and not being able to have multiple parties access the same folder... That essentially means DropBox sharing does not work with iOS devices.
I really like DropBox and use it all the time with my clients. I had assumed there was full iOS support. Maybe someday in the future?
Thanks,
Matthew
- Rich
Super User II
wrote:
I was able to "share" the folder by sending the link to others.
And this is where we believe the problem is. Sending a link to a folder is not the same as a Shared Folder. A Share Link is a view-only method of sharing. Anyone that adds the content of a Share Link to their Dropbox will be creating their own copy of that content.
A Shard Folder allows you to give others edit access to your files. You need to add members to the folder first, specifying whether they have Edit or View access, and they'll receive an email or a notification within the Dropbox app on their phone.
When they open the Dropbox app and tap the notification, they'll be able to add the shared folder to their own Dropbox, if they have enough room in their account. This copy of the folder is synced with all other members of the share. Any changes they make within it will sync back to everyone else.
Make sure you read through both help articles (linked above) to understand the differences between a Share Link and a Shared Folder.
- Jay
Dropbox Community Moderator
As Rich said, a 'shared link to a folder' and a 'shared folder' are fundamentally different.
The first is read-only and can be accessed even without a Dropbox account. The second allows users to edit files in the folder, but they need a Dropbox account of their own. - Rich
Matthew S.22 wrote:
... I wish that right up front I could have been told that DropBox does not support true sharing with iOS devices at this time.
But it DOES support sharing on iOS. It seems that you're confusing share links with shared folders. Please read my latest reply, which seems to have crossed with yours, and then the help articles that I linked to in that reply.
- Jay
Rich,
Yes, that seems to be the answer! Thanks for your patience in helping resolve this.
I'm glad to have this capability, because I really like DropBox. The tricky thing here is, it's not so obvious why there would be a difference between sending a link to someone as well as sharing, versus simply sharing.
But it does work!
- Jay
Glad to hear it’s shared for you! Have a great evening.
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