SD Card to Dropbox upload question

[5WF]

If this is a basic question then we apologise, but we are confused.

Having looked in the Help area we see that it says is possible to transfer files (in this case photos) from an SD card into Dropbox, using the mobile app on an iPhone. We are a wildlife conservation team and would like to be able to do this for infield teams.

Unfortunately we cannot get this to work and need some help please.

The instructions say that "if you cannot find the SD card you need to verify that "Show advanced devices" is checked in "Settings"". No such option exists. We cannot see the SD card connected to the phone, in order to then select the images to upload directly to Dropbox in the app.

We do not want the images to upload from the SD card to the phone. This we can easily do already. We also do not want to upload to the phone and from the phone to Dropbox. The instructions tell everyone that direct SD card to Dropbox upload is possible.

However, is this possible (as Dropbox claim it is), and if so how please?

Would appreciate hearing from anyone who has the answer.

Many thanks

Eric @ 5WF

Phones tried: iPhone 8, 10, and latest XE ... fully up to date iOS and Dropbox app versions.

[Rich]

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@5WF wrote:

Having looked in the Help area we see that it says is possible to transfer files (in this case photos) from an SD card into Dropbox, using the mobile app on an iPhone.

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Importing photos from an SD Card is an option that's available on the Dropbox desktop application; not the mobile app. The mobile app has the Camera Uploads feature that will automatically upload photos and videos from your phone's camera roll, but it will not upload photos from other media. The desktop application has a similar Camera Uploads feature and it's used to import photos and videos from flash media such as SD cards and other USB devices.

• https://help.dropbox.com/installs-integrations/photos/camera-uploads-overview

[5WF]

Thank you for the prompt reply @Rich.

If it is not possible to upload directly from an SD card to Dropbox, from the Dropbox app, then may we suggest that you or Dropbox change the instructions on the Support section. What is there currently is incorrect and misleading to those who attempt to use it.

Only being able to upload directly from SD card to Dropbox using a desktop completely defeats the practical use of Dropbox for field conservation in this extensive use case.

We were assured direct mobile upload was possible when the Sales team attempted to sell us an extensive package.

It is a good thing we checked before expanding our account with Dropbox, as that may have been an expensive error for us.

I am afraid we will need to seek an alternative provider. Our charity does not have the money or time to waste on solutions which do not work as promised, either for us internally, or the dozens of infield conservation teams we purchase solutions for.

Many thanks again.

cc: @Jay @sales

[Hannah]

Hey @5WF, thanks for reaching out to our Community.

Would you mind clarifying something for me?

After opening the Dropbox app on your phone and tapping on the (+) create button, did you tap on 'upload photo' or 'create or upload file'?

If you tapped on 'upload photo', can you try the other option instead, to see if it works?

[5WF]

Good morning @Hannah

Thank you for your reply.

So far we have tried "upload photos", "create folder" (which obviously we discovered had no option we needed), "create or upload file", "transfer files", and of course "take photos" (which again didn't work, but we thought it worth a try).

None of the above enabled us to locate the plugged in SD Card or the images thereon.

The only successful method of getting the images from the SD card to the Dropbox has been uploading from the SD card onto the phone, and from there transferring them to the Dropbox.

This method is time consuming (selecting, uploading, deleting, and repeating this potentially dozens of times due to the number of images, size of images or the memory on the users phone) and uses too much of the users phone memory. It would be fine in an office environment but completely impractical for an infield user.

Did you have an alternate suggestion in mind?

Many thanks.

[5WF]

Hi@Hannah

Any further thoughts please?

Many thanks

[Hannah]

Would it be possible to send us a short screen recording of what you see when you follow the steps described in the article?

Or perhaps a series of screenshots showing the steps you follow.

Thanks so much!

[5WF]

No, I'm afraid it would not be possible, nor should it be required.

If Dropbox mobile app is not capable of importing multiple images from an SD card directly, without uploading to the phone, then please just say so.

What we have been able to establish is that uploading an SD Card of a single image only is possible under the following conditions;

1) an existing folder must already have been created in Dropbox, not through the mobile app but through the PC browser site.

2) the selection of the image must be through the "create or upload file" menu.

However;

3) The upload is only possible if the folder exists first and

4) The upload is restricted to only 1 image at a time. - completely impractical if the conservationists have 100 images to upload ... and there is no other method available for uploading multiple files of images that we can find.

I'm afraid we have no time, or to be honest interest, in making movies showing what we are more than capable of ascertaining for ourselves, namely that we are following the correct procedure, as laid out in the instructions.

The importation of multiple images from an SD card to a Dropbox account with a few simple clicks/selections should be a basic function for the Dropbox mobile app to perform.

Very disappointing it does not seem to be possible.

No wonder @sales were so keen we should purchase the expensive package before asking questions or evaluating if Dropbox was fit for purpose in this use case.

[5WF]

So no further suggestions or interest in assisting?

[Walter]

Hey @5WF, sorry to jump in here, but could we reach out via email to  have a further look internally?