Folders made available offline were not downloaded

[MikeA01730]

Hi,

This weekend I thought I'd test the Dropbox Available Offline feature by storing travel documents there.  On my PC I created a new folder and populated it with some PDFs.  On the Dropbox app on my Pixel (Android) phone I enabled Available Online for the folder and viewed the PDFs in it with no problem.  The next day while in a theater waiting for a show to start I verified that I had no phone connectivity and was not connected to any WiFi.  When I tried to view the folder containing the new folder the new folder was marked with an exclamation point in a yellow circle.  When I entered the folder all the individual PDFs were similarly marked and could not be viewed.  That persisted for some time.  Later when I was outside and had phone coverage but not WiFi connectivity I checked the folder again again and saw that the yellow exclamation points were slowing changing to green phone icons, and that PDFs with the green icon could be viewed.  

Luckily I had paper documents.  If I hadn't carried backups I could have been in trouble.  

I thought that folders marked as Available Online could be accessed anytime with no connectivity, but Dropbox doesn't do that.  Is my understanding correct?  Is phone connectivity required?  If not is it common for this feature to be unreliable or malfunction?  Can this feature be relied on or should I choose a different mechanism?  

Thanks,

Mike

[Jane]

Hey Terry (@Terry P.), as I can see that you’ve already submitted a ticket via our Official Support channel & you're discussing that with our team specialist, I’ve made sure to include a copy of your comments on that email chain. Since they've got more advanced tools at their disposal, they could best address your concerns on that discussion. 

I hope that get this squared away soon & please do let me know here in case you need further assistance in any way & I’ll check back with you asap. Thanks! 

[HarishM]

Hi

I think Dropbox has had an issue as I’ve just had to show all files offline never had to do this before!

Harish

[Jane]

Hey Harish (@HarishM), following your last post here, I’ve sent you a brief message on the email connected to your Community profile, in order to have a closer look on the issue you’ve described us. You may have a look at your inbox at your earliest convenience if you’d like us to work on that together. Thanks in advance!

[Safespace]

I'm not understanding when you say a newer version of the folder I have the same files did I use all the time I never change them sometimes they are available other places that I use them you're not available and I don't do anything to my iPad

[Jane]

Hey @Safespace, following-up from the OP’s description, can you confirm that you’re also seeing the yellow exclamation marks for Offline files? 

If so, can you let me know whether you’re having any pending OS updates? Also, are you running the latest version of our mobile app (150.2.4) on your iPad? 

If you’re still facing an issue with that, would you mind checking if these files were located in a shared folder & a colleague has updated them since the last time you were connected to a Wi-Fi network? Please let me know of your findings & I’ll do my best to further advise. Thanks!

[Terry P.]

Hi Jane,

How do I find the current iPad Dropbox version running? I see no indication here...

Terry, East Grinstead, UK

[Jane]

Thanks for pinging me back here again @Terry P., you should be able to see that once you click on the Account tab 👤 on the bottom-right hand corner on your iPad→ Gear icon (top- left) & you scroll a bit further down. Please let me know how you get on with this suggestion once you get a chance or if you have any follow-up questions! 

[Terry P.]

Thanks Jane, got it.

IMO that Settings window should fill the screen in either landscape or portrait mode, and if that still doesn’t include all content it should add a clearly visible indication or scroll bar.

[Safespace]

Hi files were not in shared folder. Her is the thing. Sometimes the offline files worth the exclamation mark work and sometimes they dont. Honestly I NEVER had issues in the past until u instituted the upgrade option to view folders offline. I never upgraded and I think that dropbox sabotaging basic memberships.

[Jane]

Thanks to both for getting back in touch with all these observations @Safespace & @Terry P.! 

While I can make sure to add your voice to the feedback we’re gathering on the Community on my end, I’m wondering if Offlining content is now working as expected for you. If you notice that something isn’t performing as it should or you have any additional concerns, please let me know here, as it’s my understanding that you’re no longer facing the issue previously discussed.

That said, kindly note that the feature should work regardless of your subscription when it comes to files, however only paid users should be able to save folders for offline viewing @Safespace. 

I’m always here, let me know if you have any follow-up inquiries & I'll make sure to check back soon!