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Switching Dropbox

Switching Dropbox

phunction
Explorer | Level 4
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Hi, I am using API2 with my app to allow users to transfer files to/from dropbox.

However, if a user of the app changes dropbox accounts, and they no longer have access to the first dropbox account (So they can't unlink a device) how can they now use the new dropbox account within my app since it is still linked to another dropbox account?

They are signed in the dropbox app iteself on the device with their new account but it does not affect my app.

 

Thanks.

1 Accepted Solution

Accepted Solutions

Greg-DB
Dropbox Staff
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The Dropbox account that your app connects to is controlled by the access token the app is using. (Every Dropbox API access token identifies a specific app-account pair.)

When the user first authorizes your app, they allow it to access the account they sign in to at that time, and the resulting access token is then always for that particular account.

If you want to switch what account the app is connecting to, you can just throw away the access token it's currently using. Then, you can prompt the user to authorize the app again, in order to allow it to connect to the new account, and so get an access token for that account. The user doesn't need to unlink the app from the old account.

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3 Replies 3

Greg-DB
Dropbox Staff
Go to solution

The Dropbox account that your app connects to is controlled by the access token the app is using. (Every Dropbox API access token identifies a specific app-account pair.)

When the user first authorizes your app, they allow it to access the account they sign in to at that time, and the resulting access token is then always for that particular account.

If you want to switch what account the app is connecting to, you can just throw away the access token it's currently using. Then, you can prompt the user to authorize the app again, in order to allow it to connect to the new account, and so get an access token for that account. The user doesn't need to unlink the app from the old account.

phunction
Explorer | Level 4
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Thanks, I was hoping there was a way it could be done outside of the app but I don't think there is.

Greg-DB
Dropbox Staff
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For reference, users can unlink apps from https://www.dropbox.com/account/connected_apps but that just revokes the access tokens for that app, making any further attempts to use the access tokens fail.

The app would still need to throw away its copies of the access tokens and prompt the user to relink the app if they want.

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    Greg-DB Dropbox Staff
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    phunction Explorer | Level 4
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