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Forum Discussion
Dropbox unstable in iPad OS Files App.
The problem I have is that Dropbox seems to crash when running on an iPAD via the apple files app. If I open an application that uses the files app, such as Pages or Final Draft, when saving to the Dropbox via the files app, it crashes the app and for the next 4 to 5 minutes if I click on drop box via the files app it just doesn’t load.
Apple has confirmed this is a Dropbox issue (I raised it with them first), and I have not been able to crash the application(s) using Google Drive via files in the same way.
Can anyone help?
We recently upgraded the syncing experience between the Files and Dropbox and it should be more reliable now. Ensure that your Dropbox app is upgraded to receive the full benefits of this experience!
hi. I have been trying so many things to solve this same issue. I have read multiple threads with people having the same problem.
No one seems able to fix it.
When i speak to Dropbox direct they don’t have a solve either.
ANyone able to help/
- Nancy
Dropbox Staff
Hi AM1981, I’m sorry to hear about this.
Since I understand that you may have been in touch with our support, do you mind sending over your ticket number, so that I can take a look?
Also, can you please clarify what’s the exact OS version that you’re running on your iOS device?
Thanks!
#16159616
iOS 15.4.1
Been having an issue on my iPad with the files app and Dropbox integration since ios14 was released. Working on files and it will freeze the app. You need to force quit the app and it takes some time for Dropbox to reload in the files app so I can continue working. If the Dropbox app allowed me to mark up the files I could use that instead but it doesn’t. I never had this freeze issue until ios14 and was hoping iOS15 would fix it but it did not.
When using Dropbox via the native Files app, it frequently freezes or shows the Content Unavailable error message. This happens whether I’m using the wifi at home or work, or cellular data. The only solution so far is to reboot the iPad, which is infuriating due to the frequency of the problem. Sometimes, after a few minutes, it starts working again without a reboot. Unfortunately, reinstalling the Dropbox app did not fix the issue.
On my iPhone, the issue rarely happens, but that could be because I do most of my work on the iPad. This is an iPad Pro M1 1TB running iPadOS 15.1 and Dropbox app version 258.3.2.
- MeganHey robert_ios, welcome to our Community! I hope you're doing well.
Have you maybe tried offloading the Files app and installing it again?
Feel free to send me any screenshots of when that happens, since I'd love to also have a visual representation.
Let me know!
Having the same problem daily, the only solution is going to configuration, searching for the dropbox app and changing the language. Its very frustrating
Yes tried that and tried it again today and it still freezes
- WalterHey VinceM50, sorry to hear you're having issues with this.
Could you please try disabling Dropbox as a location from your Files app and re-enabling it again after rebooting your device?
If this doesn't help improve matters, you can also try uninstalling the mobile app from your iPad and installing it anew.
Let me know how it goes.Its been over a year and nothing changed? How much more 'looking into it' can be done?
I am getting a bit tired of ending up in this forums just to discover that i am not alone and absolutely nothing is done about the problems this service has.
- Once dropbox has stopped functioning, the only way to resolve this problem is to reboot the iPad it’s obviously restarts the dropbox Demon similar to going into Windows and stopping and starting services unfortunately cannot stop and start services on an iPad or phone so the only resolution once dropbox has locked up is to restart the device
Hello Walter,
I tried as you suggested, both removing the link from the files app and rebooting, and removing the app. Same problem.
It will crash, I won’t be able to access Dropbox from the files app for a few minutes, then it works again.
Guessing this problem is not wide spread enough, can anyone assist? I did email drop box directly, guess I'll wait to see what they say.
- I have exactly the same problem. I have to keep rebooting my iPad so many times a day. Are use my iPad for all work connected to my screen so this is a huge issue so much so that I am now using iCloud files Then at the end of the day copying them all across to dropbox please fix this dropbox this is clearly a problem on your end because if you use iCloud files or Microsoft app all works fine it’s just drop box
- WalterHey Dragon Personal Management, thanks for the report.
May I reach out via email to have a further look into this?Sure - do you have our email on file ?
Simon
Hello, It’s been a. Number of months, and when I attempted to use Dropbox again for my writing app, the same behaviour occurred. Based on the lack of solutions from Dropbox, I can only assume this cannot be duplicated or fixed and I’m left with no choice but to choose another cloud storage provider for the majority of my work.
Can nothing be done here? I would rather not move.
Vince
I have basically the same problem: the file provider is extremely unstable. With apps that write many (different) parts of files, the file provider stops working. I lose save operations, and it is dropbox, because whenever it stops working in my app, it stops working for anything in the Files app, I cant’t even browse any folder. To disable and reenable the Dropbox option in the sidebar of Files does nothing, my only solution is to restart my iPad. It is fustrating, I only keep using Dropbox because I have other devices (with brands different from Apple) that only connect with Dropbox.
I have iPadOS15.6.1 and Dropbox 306.2 on an iPad Pro 2020 11”, and the problems are more evident whenever I try to markup files in PDF Expert, but any program saving files can (and do) create problems with the file provider.
- Nancy
Hi everyone, I hope you’re all doing great!
ColombianJoker (and anyone else who’s still facing the same issue), can you please let me know so that we can open a ticket for you and investigate this further by looking into your Dropbox account?
I’m still having this problem. 9th March. 2023. I do most of my work on the iPad Mini 6, and I’m tired of having to reboot it to get it to connect.
it then works for a while, but next thing, locks up again.Saving from or loading to apps, like Affinity Designer, Photo or Publisher, or simply Using Files.
If there’s no solution I’m going to have to abandon Dropbox, it’s just too unreliable in my work environment.
I also have this issue. I am trying to use Pages on my iPad 10 and it constantly crashes or loses work. I lost 1500 words one day while writing an essay. I can’t restart my iPad every 10min — that’s not a useful solution. I’ve reinstalled Dropbox already. Not sure what else to do, but I admit this is a highly disappointing issue.
- yes I’m still getting the problem regularly and I’ve lost my work too. It’s so annoying and no one seems to be able to fix it and to make matters worse now the dropbox app on iPhone keeps locking up in the middle of doing stuff. The only solution to, that is yes, you guessed it to reboot the iPhone at first I thought it was just me but my wife who has a completely different model of iPhone has exactly the same problem. So this is clearly a software issue. Somehow the dropbox iOS apps just seem to have bugs or us unstable. I too have tried reinstalling apps doesn’t seem to solve the problem.
