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Forum Discussion
Default search settings for mobile app.
Currently when searching files on the Dropbox app (iPhone), I must also select a file type. If I don’t, my search returns unfiltered results of every type of file I have stored in my Dropbox account.
It hasn’t always been that way. Used to be, Dropbox assumed I was searching for a Word document (as opposed to pdf, jpg, etc., etc.).
I would like to set my own defaults for file type so that Dropbox automatically assumes I’m looking for a particular file type (Word document in my case) unless I manually select a different file type.
Additionally, I would like any other file type to show up AFTER my preferred file type results have been exhausted.
In other words, if I search for my Caesar Salad recipe, I want the word.doc file that is actually named that to be the first in the results, followed by any other word.docs that are similar. Only AFTER that should a picture I once took of a Caesar salad show up.
I made a screen shot video of my app where I searched for my Caesar salad recipe a week or so ago. I had to scroll through no less than 30 images of food, about half of which had absolutely nothing in the file name about “Caesar salad”, or even “salad” for that matter.
This does mot occur at all on desktop searches (MacBook Air). I get super accurate results on my laptop, especially when I select the “occurs in title” filter. I’m only having difficulty on the mobile app.
- Megan
Dropbox Staff
Hi dezormo, I hope you're doing well!
Your feedback regarding this has been very valuable and I will endeavor to make sure your voice is heard.
I will pass on your comments to the relevant departments so that we can further improve our product.
If you need anything else, let me know!
Thank you Megan. I do want to make sure it's understood that there also seems to be something wonky with the filters. I can send the screen shot video I mentioned in my post if it helps. But I would like it to also be known that search results on the mobile app do not do an accurate job of filtering results in order of most relevant.
In the video I made, one can see that the first 30 or so items in the search results don't even have the word "Caesar" or even "salad" in the filename. And only half of them are even images of salads. It would seem to me that even if the document settings were set to "all", my "Caesar Salad" Word doc file should still have been the first item in the search results simply because it is most relevant by file name.
There doesn't seem to be a way for me to attach a file to this message; if the little 17 second video I made would be helpful, please let me know how I can send it and I'll be happy to do so. The file size is 34MB.
Thanks for your help!
I see the camera icon. Unfortunately the video I made isn't a file type supported. The list of file types seems to only be image files.
Here are a few screenshots I just took of the same search. I had to scroll down 35 items down the results to find the first result that was relevant to the search by filename. All the others were pictures of food, mostly salads, that I have in my files that have absolutely nothing in the filename to do with "Caesar" or even "salad".
Yes I do. I just tried it, same results.
Hey Megan,
I should've been more clear. I only use the app when on my iphone. When on my MacBook, I exclusively use the Finder which is Apple's native app, nothing to do with Dropbox.
I also wanted to mention I don't have this problem with every search. Much of the time the search results are pretty accurate. In fact, as I'm writing this, I've searched a couple other common files and the results are accurate. And then when I search Caesar Salad, I get the same wonky results.
Could it be on my end? Maybe there's something peculiar with certain ones of my Word files? Or maybe where they're located in my specific directory tree?
Oh! Yes, I think y'all asked me that already and I forgot. iOS is 16.6.1, Dropbox version 346.4.2
- Nancy
dezormo, is it OK if we log a ticket for you, so that we can investigate this further?
If yes, we can message you to this email address.
Let me know.
- Absolutely. I was hoping you would!
