Uploading in the background on your Android 7.0 device

[AntonioC]

Hi there, I’m Antonio, a member of the Dropbox Mobile team. We've discovered an incompatibility issue with Android 7.0 that prevents the Dropbox Camera Upload feature from running in the background.

As a result of the incompatibility, Camera Uploads will only work if the user is actively looking at Dropbox, with the app running in the foreground. If Dropbox is running in the background, the Camera Upload feature will only work for a short time before the process is stopped in order to save battery on your device.

To work around this issue, please keep the Dropbox app in the foreground when you’re using Camera Uploads, or manually exclude Dropbox from the Doze feature by following instructions, here. A fix will be available for this on June 12 that will enable new photos to be uploaded with the Camera Uploads feature when Dropbox is running in the background.

[Robert D.61]

Hello, 

I run Dropbox latest update version on a Samsung Galaxy S6 version SM-G9200 with 5.1.1. Android and I have problem lately (maybe 1-2 months) with Dropbox camera auto upload. 

It doesn't start by itself although in the setting I have it turned on. 

When I go to Dropbox settings, turn off and then on again the auto camera upload, then it starts to work (or I am not sure if this much is needed - maybe it's just enough that I open the Dropbox app and it starts working... I didn't try only that) 

Anyway, the software doesn't work as intended - please check and fix it. This deems Dropbox unreliable and forces users to look for other solution. 

[Marco P.]

Hi there, 

Thanks for writing in!

The issue you're experiencing is probably due to how background uploading works. 

With long videos or big batches of photos, the Dropbox app stops uploading shortly after you close it and resumes uploading only when you open it again. This is due to a time limit iOS puts on apps running in the background. You read more about it here: 

**What is background uploading?**

https://help.dropbox.com/photos-videos/camera-uploads-fix

Hope this helps!

[Robert D.61]

Hi Francesco,

I talk about Android, not iOS... thank you for paying attention to details in my question.

I'd suggest to actually read posted questions and give a proper reply instead of pasteing a standard answer without giving it any thought...

Robert

[Robert D.61]

I had ABSOLUTELY no problem with background uploading with Android for many years until very recently. 

[Rok]

I'm facing the same problem on my S6. Background upload starts only after I manually start dropbox app. There must be some connection with the app optimisation feature samsung added few months back...

[Marcus O.]

Hi, this may be due to a feature on newer Samsung OS versions called App Optimization. It is designed to freeze applications that are deemed to be untouched by the user and may interfere with some background services.

You may find this setting by:

1. Go to your system (not Dropbox's!) settings.
2. Tap on Battery (found under System category)
3. Find App optimization section and tap on detail
4. Find Dropbox in the list and tap on it
5. Change the option to "Disabled for"
6. Done, your system should no longer freeze Dropbox

Older phones like the S5/Note 4 will not have Dropbox appear on the list as it was a system app excluded from this feature then.

App optimization affects your 3rd party keyboards as well FYI.

[Robert D.61]

Hi Marcus, 

thank you very much - THIS can indeed be a reasonable explanation, you're great! 🙂 

I checked that App optimization starts by default when an app is not used for 3 days - so when e.g. I picture something every day and Dropbox syncs, then it works, but when I have more than 3 days between using Dropbox then it doesn't sync any more. 

This explains why Dropbox Camera Upload sometimes works and sometimes doesn't. 

Cheers, Robert

[Robert D.61]

I'm pretty much bothered otherwise that the answer came from a regular forum member and not from a Dropbox employee... 

Francesco only managed to paste a totally irrelevant comment for iOS from the Dropbox help - they shall care more about customers' problems. 

[Sue S.2]

My photos won't upload to Dropbox since the Marshmallow update either!  I just changed my settings like Marcus suggested.  I restarted my phone and checked my Dropbox settings again, and everything is as it should be, but my photos aren't transferring.  This is very frustrating, because Dropbox is my way of backing up my photos, but I don't think it's compatible with Marshmallow on my Galaxy S6.