Forum Discussion

sbergenh's avatar
sbergenh
Explorer | Level 3
3 years ago

Time zone changes affect file names in Camera Uploads (iOS)

I’m currently working and living in different countries in different time zones (one-hour difference). During my work trips, I take hundreds of photos of archival documents and other research materia...
Camera uploads
Mobile
sync
upload
Jay's avatar
Jay
Icon for Dropbox Community Moderator rankDropbox Community Moderator
3 years ago

Hi sbergenh, thanks for bringing this to our attention.

 

Currently, it isn't possible to change this setting in the camera uploads feature, as it always defaults to the current timezone when uploading images.

 

However, if there is enough metadata on the files, you might be able to use naming conventions to rename the files to show the correct date and time on them.

 

If you have any further queries, feel free to message back.

  • Brett G.3's avatar
    Brett G.3
    Explorer | Level 4
    2 years ago

    Dropbox has no business renaming photos. Period. 

    How can I set dropbox to not alter the photo file names created by my phone? My Android phone gives my photos easy to search chronological names. Dropbox destroys that.

    • Jay's avatar
      Jay
      Icon for Dropbox Community Moderator rankDropbox Community Moderator
      2 years ago

      Hi Brett G.3, if you're using the automatic camera uploads feature, then it isn't possible to disable the renaming of the files.

       

      To keep your original file names, you'll need to upload the images manually to your account via the app.

      • Brett G.3's avatar
        Brett G.3
        Explorer | Level 4
        2 years ago

        hi Jay, Why is that? why would any backup software rename files? Why would any software add periods to file names - that is a poor naming convention and is highly frowned upon.

        Brett

About Create, upload, and share

Find help to solve issues with creating, uploading, and sharing files and folders in Dropbox. Get support and advice from the Dropbox Community.

The Dropbox Community team is active from Monday to Friday. We try to respond to you as soon as we can, usually within 2 hours.

If you need more help you can view your support options (expected response time for an email or ticket is 24 hours), or contact us on X, Facebook or Instagram.

For more info on available support options for your Dropbox plan, see this article.

If you found the answer to your question in this Community thread, please 'like' the post to say thanks and to let us know it was useful!