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Forum Discussion
Invalid access token
I generated an access token while creating my project on dropbox app console, and used that token to let my user's to fetch data from my drobox using my android app, everything worked fine for months...
Greg-DB
Dropbox Staff
Dropbox StaffBy default, Dropbox API access tokens for your app(s) don't expire by themselves, but there a number of different ways that a Dropbox API access token can become invalid:
- the user can revoke all access tokens for an app by unlinking it on the connected apps page
- any client with the access token can revoke the access token by calling /2/auth/token/revoke
- if the app uses the "app folder" permission, the token can be disabled by the user deleting the app folder itself in the Dropbox account, either via the Dropbox website or any client
- the app can be disabled
- the account that owns the app can be disabled
- the connected account can be disabled
Also, I should note that the Dropbox API was designed with the intention that each end-user would link their own Dropbox account, in order to interact with their own files, in which case they would only have access to their own access token(s).
It is technically possible to connect to just one account, by always using a specific access token, for all end-users of your app, and it sounds like that's what you're doing in this case. Please be aware that we don't recommend doing so, for various technical and security reasons. This is especially true for client-side apps, such as Android apps, as they can't keep the access token a secret from the end-users.
Aslo note down that my app console is still in development mode and my app is published on playstore,i have hard coded the access token in my android app so the users can able to fetch data from my dropbox withouth any aunthentication, is that may be the reason that my access token gets invalid because my app console is still in development mode?
- Greg-DB
No, your app being in development mode would not affect access token validity. The development mode only limits how many different Dropbox accounts can be connected to your app. Since you are only connecting your app to your one account, that isn't relevant.
- I got the information while generating the access token that i should use standard auth process to generate access tokens for my users. What does that mean then
- Greg-DB
It sounds like you're referring to using the OAuth app authorization flow. That's the process you would implement in your app for the normal case where you have each end-user connect their own Dropbox account to receive their own access token. You can find more information in the OAuth Guide and authorization documentation (as well as the documentation for the SDK/library you're using, if any).
In your case, since you're using the non-recommended method of hard-coding your own access token in the app you distribute to users, you don't need to use the OAuth app authorization flow at all.
For reference, the access token you get for your own account by using the "Generate" button on your app's page on the App Console is functionally the same as an access token you would retrieve for your account via the OAuth app authorization flow.
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