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Forum Discussion
Dropbox Not Connecting With Files on iPadOS
I recently switched to an iPad for work but when using Dropbox accessed through the iPadOS Files app, I frequently (multiple times a day now) have to sit and wait for up to 15 minutes or so before Dropbox will load. After talking with Apple, they insist it’s a Dropbox issue (and granted I don’t have this issue with anything iCloud or Google related) but I’m not finding anything online either.
When you go to the Files app and select Dropbox the issue occurs either at that level or after a few more folders in. When you try to load anything from dropbox (where is always different so not related to just one folder or file) it doesn’t respond for several minutes. After several minutes go by (always a different amount of time as far as I can tell) the file or folder will finally load and be usable. On times that I have already loaded some of Dropbox first, all that information still appears to be available but Dropbox has become unusable until it catches up again.
There is more than enough space available in Dropbox and the internet speed is very fast.
Any ideas for how to fix this issue (other than “don’t use the Files app”?
Thanks!
- Hannah
Dropbox Staff
Hey colonialchurch, thanks for letting us know about this.
Do you have the most recent version of Dropbox installed on the iPad and do you also have the latest version of iPad OS on the device?
Have you tried restarting the device, to see if that helps?
Keep me posted!
Thanks Hannah!
Yes to all 3. I have auto-update turned on for both apps and iPadOS. It has been going on for most (if not all) of my time using Dropbox and Files together on this iPad Pro. Yes to restarting. Unfortunately there isn’t a consistent result after restarting the iPad so that doesn’t seem to resolve it. It didn’t seem to be an issue immediately but it wasn’t long before I just understood that was a hiccup I wasn’t able to fix yet. It also seems to be getting worse (happening more frequently if not almost every time, taking longer to “re-connect”).
- Hannah
Hmm, I see, thanks for trying!
The thing is that accessing Dropbox through the files app is more Apple, than it is Dropbox.
But do you perhaps have a lot of files in your Dropbox or very large files? Maybe that's why the files app takes a long time to load them all.
Maybe clearing the cache of the files app might help.
I’ve had an issue with Dropbox on my iPad for as long as I’ve used both. I’m currently running 16.1.1.
The issue is when selecting Dropbox from the sidebar to attach or open a file from another app, it does not connect. It will work briefly after a restart.
Anyone else have this issue or a solution?
Hi Megan - this particular screenshot is from Mail. However this occurs routinely with other apps as well, notably Safari.
Dropbox has been added to the sidebar; in Mail the process is simply selecting the 'add file' button. In Safari on various sites when prompted to upload an image a similar file selection window opens.
Selecting the Dropbox icon in the sidebar does not connect to Dropbox. I have removed/re-added the service but that does not solve the issue. Restarting the iPad solves the issue temporarily.
Dropbox version is whatever is current from software update.
Same exact problem.
Issue has existed for multiple versions of the Dropbox app, multiple versions of iPadOS. Each time a new dropbox app or version of iPadOS is released I HOPE the issue will be resolved only to be disappointed since I expected a different result 🙂
It’ll work after a restart of the device, until it ‘hangs’ and then it won’t work again until after another restart. Force quitting the dropbox app, files app, or the app trying to save or attach a file to does not resolve. Only ‘fix’ is to restart the device again. It can be days or weeks between these forced restarts or mere minutes to hours before it hiccups and one cannot view/save any dropbox files via Files. This is an annoying issue with not much to be found online regarding the issue. Hazard a guess something in data exchange between dropbox & iPadOS/iPhoneOS hangs, has no error messaging/logging/recovery leaving users in the dark as to cause, fix, workaround.
