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Re: Disable desktop notifications for app's folder

Disable desktop notifications for app's folder

Thomas
New member | Level 1

I'm using Dropbox Sync to write down small files to sync things in my iOS app. Because records and datastores are too limited in my case, I can't use Datastore. Unfortunately, these internal files are generating a lot of notifications on my desktop. It annoys the user. The solution is to disable sync of this folder on desktop computers, but it requires an additional step for the user (after having annoyed it). All of this is degrading user experience.

By nature, what happens inside an app folder is less likely to be of interest for an human user. It would be great if we were able to set our app folders as "notifications free" if relevant. One can also imagine per subfolder filtering. For now, my apps are mobile only, but if I want to make a desktop version and use Dropbox to sync stuffs, disabling app's folder sync will be impossible and users would have to live with dozens of garbage notifications. It would be so awful that it would prevent me to use Dropbox at all to sync with a desktop version (even if user would like to use Dropbox).

37 Replies 37

Mads P.1
New member | Level 1

Let me se if I get this right, it is not possible to turn of the notifications? Im being spamed with popups from dropbox every 10th second. Is my only option to mute my computer?

Érico C.
Explorer | Level 4

@Mads P. No, just right-click the Dropbox icon in your taskbar, then the gear icon, 'Preferences', and unselect 'Show desktop notifications'.

What I'm complaining about is that this disables ALL notifications, whereas I wanted to disable them only for a specific folder.

Jan_Zeman
Helpful | Level 6

Hello @Mads P., @Érico C. expressed that exactly, there is however one thing I'd like to emphasise: When he talks about 'specific folder' it might sound the user can select which folders he wants to get notified about. That is a thinkable scenario too but the very first step should be that by default all notification are disabled for EVERYTHING that is under the APPS folder. APPS folder is not anything the user has actively created it is crated for him to serve for any of the applications he installed. For that reason the user does not expect any notifications (very probably he does not even know there is any apps subfolder at all). And for that reason user gets naturally annoyed by these unexpected notifications.

To say it shortly: The name of this thread is just perfect: "Disable desktop notifications for app's folder".

Best regards, Jan

Arlington A.
New member | Level 1

Definitely upvoting this one....My wife and I use the "You Need a Budget" app and share the data file via dropbox. If one of us is working in it, the others dropbox goes CRAZY because of the incremental saves the application does, so for the next couple hours I get a pop up saying the same file is updated over and over and over again....

Selective notifications would be GREAT...

David D.92
New member | Level 1

Same story with Moneydance for Android. It uses DropBox for sync.

That will sound like a programmer's suggestion (because it is): Something like creating a file in the sub-folder we want to personalize (.dropbox, or something similar) with some options like "no-notification" might also be interesting. Of course, having the GUI client generating it for us when we are users, but being able to create it automatically for our apps using DB as a sync solution.

Just my 2 cents! 🙂

Othelo S.
New member | Level 1

Is there anyway this issue can get more attention? The OP is soon-to-be 1 year old and there's no sign of this apparently not so complex feature being implemented. I share a folder with dozens of other people that constantly save new and updated .docs, and the nonstop notifications drive me crazy. I DON'T want to disable the syncing to my PC. That would make having the desktop software installed no less than useless to me. Pretty please, folks, make it happen!

Steve M.
Dropbox Staff

O.S., this forum is for developers using the Dropbox API to build their own apps. It sounds like you're looking for an end-user feature, so a different forum would be a better avenue for support.

As for the developer request above, Greg noted above that this was added to API v2 as the "mute" parameter on /files/upload and similar endpoints, though as I recall there are some limitations.

Othelo S.
New member | Level 1

Thanks, Steve. I was searching Google for a solution and this was the only topic I found.

Roald L.1
New member | Level 1

Any news on this? Seems a lot of people are looking to get this option.

Jan_Zeman
Helpful | Level 6

Hi Steve M., I must admit this is one of the most frustrating threads I ever participated in. Please read the very original request from Thomas and if possible also the comments I posted throughout the last calendar year: This is all about the APPS folder - a folder you, DropBox, creates, on behalf of your final users, not them personally. What sense does it make to notify users about changes in the folder they never created? Isn't this absolutely obvious case? Independent on any API version, independent on API client requests or parameters sent... Simply NEVER notify about changes in the APPS folder and its subfolders! I guess this feature must be implemented in your Dropbox software - in your Windows and Mac clients as it is those clients who display those annoying notifications. There is hardly any other work-around. I am very sorry for using bold font and one or two exclamation marks but for the last 427 days of this ticket lifetime I do not sense any sincere interest from any 'Dropboxer' to address this issue. Maybe my view is too simplified but it is about one if statement in the related client code...

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