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Error when automatically backing up files to Dropbox through third party app on Android
Hello,
I’m experiencing an issue that appears to be a recent change in Dropbox behavior.
I use a third-party application on my Android phone that backs up data to Dropbox. The app automatically connects using Dropbox integration, selects the Apps folder, and creates its own subfolder inside it where backups are stored. This setup has been working reliably for years.
Recently, I started getting the error:
"Exception in 2/sharing/ validate_folder_path: (".tag":"bad_pat h","bad_path":"contains_app_folder")"
I have already tried:
- Disconnecting and reconnecting Dropbox
- Letting the app create a new folder inside Apps
- Recreating the Apps folder
None of these steps resolved the issue.
Nothing has changed in my setup or workflow, and this started happening suddenly.
Could you please confirm whether there has been a recent change related to sharing or access validation for folders inside the Apps folder, and whether this behavior is intended?
Thank you for your help.
4 Replies
Just to add on here. I'm experiencing the exact same issue. The app in question is Sleep as Android which I've been using for years without issue and that app hasn't been updated since December so something broke somewhere.
- Hannah
Dropbox Community Moderator
I see and thanks for the update, Marino_2026.
Unfortunately, since the manufacturers of this app built the integration themselves and it's not an official Dropbox one, there's not much more info we can provide on our end.
Perhaps you can push back and ask them to make sure their integration works correctly, but other than that, there's not much else that we can do here. :/
Hi Hannah,
Yes, I reached to them and they said "This seems to be an internal problem of Dropbox. Other users reported, that updating the Dropbox app on their devices solved the problem."
My Dropbox app is, of course, updated.
I use Android phone Samsung S22 (SM-S901B) and the app version is 458.2.4
Maybe the last update two days ago (27.1.2026.) has something with this error.
Thank you.
- Hannah
Welcome to the Dropbox Community, Marino_2026!
Since this is a third party app and not an official integration we can support, I'm afraid there's not much we can suggest other than what you've already tried.
Have you reached out to the third party app's manufacturers for further assistance?
I will, of course, leave the thread open for other users so they can share their experience and feedback on this.
Let me know if you have any questions.
