Uploading bandwidth setting on iphone

[Topfrog]

How do i increase the bandwith used by dropbox to speed up upload speed on an iphone ?

[Elixir · Accepted solution]

Hey @Topfrog, I am afraid there is no settings to control the bandwidth in the iOS app. Only way to speed up is to connect to a faster wi-fi (or cell) network, and make sure that your iPhone is not in low power mode. 

[Jay]

Hi there, as Elixir said, there isn’t any setting like this on the iOS mobile app.

It’s entirely dependent on your cellular network connection, or WiFi network speeds.

Another possibility, if the camera uploads are slow, is if iCloud library, and optimize storage, is turned on. These slow the upload since it is both uploading to iCloud and Dropbox at the same time, making it much slower.

[Topfrog]

Well thanks for the clarification and tip I have closed every app other than Dropbox and I seem to have a small improvment...

[GL]

Hi Jay,

"It’s entirely dependent on your cellular network connection, or WiFi network speeds."

This just isn't true.

The same file that uploads in a few minutes on WeTransfer can take a couple of hours from the Dropbox app. Same network, same connection, different result.

Nor is it anything to do with iCloud settings. Even with no iCloud at all, the upload speeds from the app still suck regardless of network.

And why on earth would we need to switch on Location Services just to run uploads in the background?

What is going on? The app side of the product is terrible and has been for years, but we're still paying for subscriptions.

[trog]

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@GL wrote:

The same file that uploads in a few minutes on WeTransfer can take a couple of hours from the Dropbox app. Same network, same connection, different result.

Nor is it anything to do with iCloud settings. Even with no iCloud at all, the upload speeds from the app still suck regardless of network.

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So I have a similar problem - but on Android. I have both Google Photos syncing and Dropbox syncing my camera uploads (although I tend to leave Dropbox syncing switched off).

As I outlined here in an earlier thread, I have had this problem for ages across two different phones, only on my home wifi network. Both Google Photos and Dropbox, when uploading, will thrash my network - they flood the upstream (which is very low on my sadly poor home Internet link, about 1Mbit).

Google Photos thrashes it for a few minutes and then the file is uploaded. Dropbox, however, thrashes it for a few minutes, nothing happens, thrashes it again, over and over. Sometimes the file will upload, but more often than not, it will fail and I'll get a message on the phone saying "tap for more info" (which, when tapped, offers no info).

Per my earlier comments in the other thread, my guess is that Google Photos can detect when the upstream is congested, and slightly scales back on the upload speed (or retries in a more clever manner) until the upload is completed.

Dropbox, however, seems to just retry and timeout over and over. This has the effect of making the uploads seem very very slow (when they work at all) when compared to Google Photos.

I got an email today from Dropbox saying they've fixed some problems with camera uploads, which I was excited about. Updated, tried again - but same problem.

I realise this is probably an edge case problem for people on crappy networks - when I am on almost any other wifi network, the uploads work perfectly. But I'm sure there are plenty of us (dozens!) that are experiencing this.

For me I think the problem would be instantly resolvable if the mobile app had the ability to limit upload speed. I would just set it to 20kbytes/sec - which is what I do on my desktop Dropbox, so my Internet is usable when syncing.

[Fiona]

Thank you for your feedback on the matter @trog. As Jay explained, it has to do with your Internet speed. If you need us to further investigate and help with device specific upload issues, please create a ticket with us at: https://www.dropbox.com/support. 

In the specific case you are describing here, I think the solution is to use your data while you are at home, as currently there is not way to adjust upload bandwidth on mobile. 

I know it is not ideal but hope it helps to some extent.