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Neil K.'s avatar
Neil K.
Helpful | Level 6
9 years ago
Solved

Dropbox and Files App Issues (iOS 11)

Hello

 

I am having issues using Dropbox with the Files App.

 

  1. When trying to attach a file to an email I can browse and select the file but when I select the file the round 'downloading' icon appears but it never completes. The square 'cancel' icon at the centre of the circle is unresponsive. 
  2. When browsing Dropbox within the Files App some (but not all) folders display "To view the items in this folder, you need to authenticate". When I click the button to authenticate the screen briefly flickers but nothing happens. 
  3. I cannot browse Dropbox within Files unless I disable my Dropbox pass-code/touch ID. A few days ago this was working.
  4. The search feature within Files does not return any of the Dropbox files.

 

I have tried the following steps to remedy the situation:

  • Cleared Dropbox cache.
  • Deleted the Dropbox App and then restored it to the latest version (64.3)
  • Rebooted my iPhone 7.
  • Tried another device (iPad Mini 2).

 

None of these actions have made any difference. I would appreciate any help that you can offer.

Thank you.

 

  • We know about the issue where navigating into a folder whose name contains a period causes an authentication required screen to be displayed. It will be fixed in an upcoming update. Thanks for reporting!


  • Neil K. wrote:

     

    I installed iOS11 within minutes of it being released. Files definitely could access Dropbox at this point just by using TouchID. Shortly after this Dropbox made a new version of their app available. It was at this point that it stopped working and displayed the message saying to disable the passcode.

    You're correct: from iOS 8 up until the latest version of Dropbox for iOS 11, it had the "Doc Picker" and did support passcode/Touch ID. OneDrive still uses the older Doc Picker. You'll notice it's not as seamlessly integrated into the Files app though, for example, in the Files app you can't copy files between OneDrive and e.g. iCloud or Dropbox, but you can between iCloud and Dropbox.

     

    There are some technical limitations relating to the passcode lock in the Files app and we're looking into solutions.

45 Replies

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  • JK1211's avatar
    JK1211
    New member | Level 2
    8 years ago

    Except Onedrive works just fine with the password on in their app.  The first time you go into Files app it asks for your Face/Touch ID or password and authenticates the files app via a Onedrive popup screen.

     

    This IS a Dropbox flaw not Apple as clearly Microsoft made it work.

  • desy123's avatar
    desy123
    Helpful | Level 5
    8 years ago
    Yes, totally agree. Nomerous complaints have been lodged since last year & no remedy...seems like they want us to live with it unfortunately.
  • Rich's avatar
    Rich
    Icon for Super User II rankSuper User II
    8 years ago
    JK1211 wrote:

    This IS a Dropbox flaw not Apple as clearly Microsoft made it work.

    It's not a Dropbox flaw. The only reason it works for Microsoft is because they're still using older functions and haven't yet updated to the new functions available within iOS 11. The technology in use is different between Dropbox and OneDrive, as explained above:

     

    ... from iOS 8 up until the latest version of Dropbox for iOS 11, it had the "Doc Picker" and did support passcode/Touch ID. OneDrive still uses the older Doc Picker. You'll notice it's not as seamlessly integrated into the Files app though ...

  • DavidZ's avatar
    DavidZ
    Icon for Dropbox Staff rankDropbox Staff
    8 years ago
    At the time I posted that comment, OneDrive only supported the "Doc Picker" however that's no longer true today. Microsoft added actual Files app integration with passcode support recently. The Files app limits what apps can do with passcode though: you'll notice that OneDrive takes a really long time before it will re-ask for passcode (e.g. close the Files app and come back in 10 minutes -- OneDrive lets you access your files without asking for passcode again), and Google Drive seems to have removed passcode from their app entirely. We definitely hear you. We'd like to add passcode to the Files app, but want to do it in a robust way and it's difficult to do it right.

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