My dropbox won't sync files if my IPhone screen is locked

[dbwontsync]

Hi there,

I spend most of the day taking pictues with my IPhone and sending this photos to my drop box account, so I can access this photos from my computer for editing and posting on social media.

However, If my IPhone screen looks (is set to lock after 1 minute of inactivity), dropbox stop uploading the pictues. Or, if I send the files and change to another the app, it also stop synching. 

So I have to keep unlocking my phone all the time and can't change app in order to get all the photos uploaded to my desktop folder.

Is there a option i can change and dropbox on my phone will keep synching even if the screen is locked or keep synching in background?

It's really annoying and seem like a easy thing to fix.

Thanks 😉

[Walter]

Hey there @dbwontsync - how are you today?

 As a frist step to fix this issue, could you please turn on Background Uploading following these steps? 

1. Open the Dropbox app.
2. Tap the "Home" tab.
3. Tap the gear icon 
4. Select “Camera Uploads.”
5. Toggle "Background Uploading" to "on." (Or, if it's already set to "on," toggle the setting off and then on again.)

I hope this helps! 

[dbwontsync]

Hey Walter,

Thank you for you reply.

Unfortunately I am only able to select "background uploading" option when the option auto upload photos if enabled.

In my case, I dont want all the pictures to be synced.

I usually select the one's I want, create a new folder and upload the selected one's.

Is that because I am using the free account?

Thanks

[Walter · Accepted solution]

Yes, that's expected since you're manually uploading your photos @dbwontsync - read on for more context:

Currently, photos and videos can upload while the Dropbox app is active and for a short time after it is dismissed, as you have noticed as well. After that time iOS applications' policy restricts us from continuing to access files to upload, unless you enable the background uploading option (available when using our automatic camera uploads feature).

As mentioned, you can enable background uploading within the Camera Upload settings, at which point our app will ask for permission to access your device's location services while it does not collect your location's information.

Moreover, you should be able to change this behavior following these steps (they might be slightly different depending on your mobile device's OS and version):

1. Launch the “Settings” app.

2. You will see some of your apps listed at the bottom of the list of settings. Tap the Dropbox app in this list.

3. Enable “Background App Refresh”, and then tap the “Privacy” option

4. Turn on “Photos” so that Dropbox can access your Photos, then tap “Location Services”. 

5. Choose “Always”. 

I hope this helps improve the progress on this matter while for more information, you can check out our Help Center article here: https://www.dropbox.com/help/mobile/location-data 

Let me know if you need anything else! 

[Helmutsg]

Hey, I have uswd DB for years now and for approx a year it doesnt upload in the background anymore even though I have changed my phone (now a new iphone 11pro max) and always location on etc etc. It doesnt do anything as soon as I open a different app or lock my screen. This is going on for a year now so I have no clue what the issue is as I have done hundreds of steps from all over the internet but nothing seems to fix it. Horrible. I have to keep my phone screen on all day long with the app open after ever vacation....

[Walter]

I'm sorry to hear you're having issues with this @Helmutsg. Let's have a look into this now. 

Just to make sure we're troubleshooting the right thing here can you include a screenshot of the Camera Uploads settings in the Dropbox app in your next reply here?

If you could also send a screenshot of the Dropbox permissions settings (you can find these by opening the “Settings” app on your iPhone or iPad, and then tapping “Dropbox.”), that'd be awesome! 

Thanks a bunch! 

[Helmutsg]

Sure. Attached both Screenshots.

https://drive.google.com/open?id=1r01N9gYBrzMUnBee7k0TVYGHx_jRpv53

[Walter]

Thanks for following up on this so quickly Helmut; I appreciate it. 

May I reach out to your Dropbox associated email address to have a further look into this with all of our tools at my disposal?

If needed, I'll send this to an expert for additional investigation but I'll need to check your device's logs internally first so the best way to continue with this would be through email. 

[Helmutsg]

Yes please! 🙂

[Walter]

I'm sorry for the late reply Helmut. I just sent you an email so we can work on this together.

At your earliest convenience, please take a look at your inbox and we'll take it from there.

Talk to you soon @Helmutsg