Previously, DropBox renamed camera uploads based on the photos creation date (EXIF: Date/Time Original). This makes sense because you want the photos to be name-sorted based on when they were taken. Now DropBox renames camera uploads based on the modification date (EXIT: File/Modification Date/Time). This makes no sense because the files are now out of chronological order when sorted by name.

Hi @Michael N.28, thanks for contacting us!

Are you modifying the images in your camera roll at a later date, or adding filters to them?

Are these normal photos, or Live Photos?

Any other info or screenshots would be helpful!

The images are modified on the camera roll.

These are normal photos.

I often edit photos before uploading via DropBox. (I do the upload manually since giving DropBox access to location services all the time ended up being a huge battery hog.)

To the best of my recollection, DropBox used to rename the photos based on creation date. But recently I began to notice that photos edited on the phone were out of creation date order in the Camera Uploads directory. The assigned name was the modification date.

Here's an example. This photo was edited on the camera.

EXIF: Create Date: 2021:10:05 09:00:04

EXIF: File Modification Date/Time: 2021:10:05 18:05:22+07:00

Name Assigned by DropBox Camera Uploads: 2021-10-05 18.05.22.heic

As you can see, the assigned name is nine hours later than the creation date.

What I've done now to "fix" this is write a shell script that includes the following exiftool statement which renames the files based on create date:

exiftool -d '%Y-%m-%d-%H%M%S%%-03.c.%%e' '-filename<CreateDate' ~/Dropbox/Camera\ Uploads

I shouldn't have to do that.

Just to clarify, is the original photo uploaded automatically to Dropbox, and then a second copy is uploaded, or is the original image overwritten, or never uploaded in the first place?

@Jay

Each image is uploaded only once. That is, when I hit the "Photos" button in the DropBox iOS app. There is no automatic upload.

If I have edited the image before uploading, then DropBox names it using the file modification date.

If I have not edited the image before uploading, then the creation date is the same as the modification date. I'm assuming that DropBox always uses the file modification date. I think that's the wrong thing to do.

DropBox should rename photos using the EXIF CreateDate or, if there is no EXIF data (like a screenshot or other non-camera image) then DropBox should use the file creation date.

Here's an example. In this case DropBox set the file name to: 2021-10-06 14.14.19.heic

If you look at the EXIF date data below, you will see that the creation date is: 2021:10:06 14:13:39

I edited the file on the iPhone using the Photos app at: 2021:10:06 14:14:19+07:00. That's the date DropBox used to rename the file.

What follows is the date info from the EXIF file:

MrMuscle:Camera Uploads mnewman$ exiftool "/Users/mnewman/Dropbox/Camera

Uploads/2021-10-06 14.14.19.heic" | grep "Date"

File Modification Date/Time : 2021:10:06 14:14:19+07:00
File Access Date/Time : 2021:10:06 17:21:26+07:00
File Inode Change Date/Time : 2021:10:06 17:21:24+07:00
Date/Time Original : 2021:10:06 14:13:39
Create Date : 2021:10:06 14:13:39
Modify Date : 2021:10:06 14:13:39
Date Created : 2021:10:06 14:13:39

If you're using the automatic camera upload feature, then there's no need to tap the Photos button to have the image upload. It should be doing it already before then. Technically, edited images should have two images on Dropbox, the original, and the later edited image.

Whenever an image appears in the camera roll, that is the date and time that appears on the Dropbox site when renamed. Essentially, new images are 'modified' at the same time as the creation date.

Images that are later edited have a new modification date, and that is what is used when uploaded. Is a second image created on the camera roll, or is the original overwritten in the camera roll?

I give up.

It's clear that I'm not able to explain myself clearly.

Sorry for the trouble.

Anyway, since I now have a workaround to correct what I see as incorrect file names assigned by GrabBox, the point is mute.

@Michael N.28, I know exactly what you mean, you explained the problem 100% clear. And it is quite stupid that your question is not understood.

I have exactly the same issue. Yesterday, I started taking pictured at 13:15 I made several pictures from a location I visited for my work. I use these pictures for presentations. I know what time I was where. But all my pictures in dropbox are renamed

2021-10-13 19.46.06-1

2021-10-13 19.46.06-2

2021-10-13 19.46.06-3

2021-10-13 19.46.06-4

2021-10-13 19.46.06-5 and so on

19.46 is 7 hours later that I actually took them. All my settings are set right! It has always worked out perfectly.

Dropbox changed the way files are being renamed. There is no question about that!

Thank you so much for confirming that I am not alone in noticing this change in DropBox Camera Uploads behavior. It is quite annoying.

If you are at all command line capable, then you can use the following one liner to change the file name back to matching the EXIF create date. I'm sure there are GUI tools that can do the same thing.

You will need to install exiftool.

The file names will look like this:

2021-09-29-104154-000.heic

exiftool -d '%Y-%m-%d-%H%M%S%%-03.c.%%e' '-filename<CreateDate' ~/Dropbox/Camera\ Uploads

Thanks. I already used that tool to fix the issue.

It is really strange that no other user is reporting this problem. I assume a lot of users use this to organise the photo.

Just to complete my info:

Device: iPhone 12 Pro Max

IOS: 15.0.1

Account Dropbox Plus

App version 254.2.12

@dropbox could you please be someone to explain why you guys changed the FileName format

https://help.dropbox.com/files-folders/sort-preview/modified-date

For those who prefer a macOS app instead of the Terminal command line , try https://www.qdev.de/?location=mac/exifrenamer

it works fast and reliable.

I still don't get it why dropbox has changed the way of renaming the photos. I have uninstalled dropbox on my phone, but I keep on having the same issues. It makes dropbox a lot less useful for me.

infinimac

I, for one (and I'm darn sure there are thousands of us), have had this problem for awhile and gave up getting support or an accurate explanation from DB. I would love more detail about how to make the global change with the exif file info!

What truly bothers me about problems like this is when a company says "nobody else is complaining" and therefore there must not be a problem. The fact is that most people don't complain, or they give up fast, and thus it appears "there is no problem." There ain't enough energy in the universe, dark or evident, to fight most of this stuff. So we don't.

(Don't get me started on approaching school administrators with issues! I've heard the lie "You're the only one who brought that up" so many times I could scream. But I didn't. Because nobody likes a screamer, lol. I fixed things myself instead, often amplified by companions I assemble because I COMMUNICATE and so I KNOW I'm not alone! I've ignored ridiculous (not controversial, just ridiculous) homework assignments, explaining to my kids and their teachers why, thus gaining family time, reducing stress, and focusing on what matters -- and amazingly, the teachers often agreed and didn't demerit the kids! Or returned unsigned financial "contracts" to schools with notes explaining why my minor kids aren't legally authorized to sign. Or gathered parents to get a teacher to admit she is failing literally 2/3 of the class because SHE needs help, not the kids. And I was so NOT a harpy parent! Just a normal, mostly hands-off, let the kids learn on their own parent! Mostly, I was an avid supporter and cheerleader for teachers, so the times I went to bat were for serious matters. All three of my kids are extremely happy and successful adults despite the buffering I did. So I'm used to "do it all myself" kinds of fixes. But I digress.)

Anyway, that may not be the case here, but "there is no problem" happens so darn often to me that I just don't go down the rabbit hole of asking a company for changes directly or posting on forums. I just slog through to my own fixes often

with help from forums like this.

infinimac

So I kept going down this rabbit hole and found some useful info at DropBox. It doesn't address the actual renaming of photos, but it does address the modification date changes. Here's a sample of what DB addresses:

BEGIN:

Will Dropbox preserve the modified date of a file or folder if I upload or download it to my account?

To preserve the modified date of a file, upload or download the file using the Dropbox desktop app.

Note: A file’s modified date will not be preserved if the file is uploaded or downloaded using dropbox.com or a mobile device.

#END#

I also learned from another forum that if you move (not copy, move) a file or folder from one system to another, such as from your computer to online DropBox, the files are basically first copied over and then the original deleted by that action, which is officially a "modification." Sometimes even a new "creation." If you move it within the system, such as from one folder to another on your hard drive, it preserves the creation/modification dates. Anyway, I hope this helps us rabbits get closer this finish line.

On my iphone, I upload photos from my photo library and usually I would get the name of (photo) followed by the date the photo was taken. The problem is that now I do it and some of the photos change the date and put the name (photo) followed by the date they were uploaded to dropbox instead of the date they were taken. A problem to archive them. I have tried logging out, restarting iphone, etc. Would anyone know what to do? Thanks

Megan

Hi @Hyoga79, I hope you're doing well!

When you say you upload content using your photo library, do you mean that you access your camera roll, select the content you want to upload, and then share with Dropbox?

Have you been using camera uploads, or manual uploads, by any chance? Feel free to clarify, so I can have the precise idea of the steps you're following.

Also, send me a couple of screenshots of the behavior you mentioned, in order for me to have a closer look into this.

Thanks a bunch!

hello. I directly enter the dropbox app and click on the "upload photos" option (manual uploads), select 50-60 files and upload them to dropbox with the name of the date the photo was taken. then from my pc I download the photos to a hard drive. that's the mechanism I usually use.
I'm sorry but I don't know how to upload screenshots to this post.

Hi @Hyoga79, if you're uploading photos manually, then Dropbox would get the name of the photos from your phone, which isn't determined by Dropbox.

If this has changed recently, then it's possible it could be due to any upgrade or other setting change on your phone.

It can't be that because my wife has the same phone and the same version installed and it doesn't happen to her. it didn't happen to me before

@Jay The problem is that it is uploaded with the date of the moment I click on upload. It is something strange that has never happened to me before.

When you do manual uploads, the date and time would be of the moment you upload. Using the automatic camera upload feature would have the correct date/time of the file.