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Android app, opening videos doesn't work correctly

I can't watch videos on- or off-line in the Dropbox app for Android. I think this bug/series of bugs started when I updated to Android 12 in October/November of last year. I've just been hoping the bug will be fixed in the next version of the app, but it never was fixed. I'm hoping someone else has experienced the bugs. It's hard to explain exactly what is happening but I will try here.

A giant thumbnail will obscure the currently playing video, taking up about half the screen, depending on the resolutions of the currently playing video and the thumbnailed video. This thumbnail seems to always come from the same folder the video is in. I think it only happens when the video/screen is in landscape.

When videos do start playing correctly, the UI (seek bar, play/pause, favorite, share, etc) won't go away automatically. When tapping somewhere in the video to hide it, it sometimes will just toggle between two different UI states, instead of hiding it completely. This seems to be random and the only way to fix it has been to clear the app from recents (which I think closes it) and restart it.

The seek bar in videos is also always in the middle of my screen instead of at the bottom.

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Accepted answers

Russ5

Dropbox app version 316.2.2 fixed this issue for me on Android 13, Pixel 5.

All comments

Walter

Hey @Russ5, sorry to hear you're having issues with this.

Could you clarify the version of the mobile app you have installed on your mobile device?

Have you tried clearing the app's cache at all since you first noticed this by the way?

If you did and this persists, please send us a screenshot so that we can have a visual too.

Thanks!

Russ5

Current app version is 280.2 but like I said, it's been months and persisted across multiple app versions. I don't have this issue on my Android 7 device, and I didn't have it in Android 11, it seems to be an Android 12 specific issue.

I've cleared the cache and reinstalled the app multiple times as well.

How should I post a screenshot? I don't see an attach button.

Megan

Hi @Russ5, sorry to jump in here!

When you try to post an answer, here in our Community you should be able to have a camera like icon. If you press on it, you should attach your screenshots.

Let me know how this one goes.

Russ5

Oh, the button only shows when viewing the site on a desktop, or with desktop view enabled. Anyway, these are both .mp4 videos. I tried to open the video of my car in the Dropbox app and the thumbnail of this other video with the toy space shuttle displays over top of it. This happens with any combinations of videos if they are in the same folder as each other.

Russ5

Megan

Hey @Russ5, thanks for the screenshot!

Can I send you an email in order for us to have a closer look into this?

Let me know!

Russ5

Sure, do you need my email address?

Megan

Hi @Russ5, sure!

I sent out an email, to your Community-linked email address, and I'll be happy to see you there.

Enjoy!

Russ5

A ticket was opened for these issues and marked as solved, yet the issues were never solved. See the email here. The video I have uploaded to Dropbox, see it here: [Removed as per Community Guidelines]

Russ5

Can someone please explain how my video violated the community guidelines? It was literally just a plastic space shuttle toy and a car.

Nancy

Hey @Russ5, I’m sorry to hear the same issue still persists.

Did you attach a link to the video in question perhaps or post your email address on the forum, which is why they were removed?

In any case, can you please send me the ticket number from your previous convo with our team, so that I can have a look?

Russ5

Hi @Nancy Are links not allowed? The video was a link. The picture was an email but with my address blurred out. The ticket was 17006643.

Jay

Hi @Russ5, we can see the ticket ID, but there isn't a reply to it in the system. Could you reply again on the ticket for the agent to assist?

Russ5

If I reply to the ticket, it says "You’ve reached an unmonitored inbox, further action will be needed to submit your support request."

https://www.dropbox.com/support/ticket/17006643 Here is the ticket, marked closed. There is a link to "contact support" there but I don't know what it will do.

Russ5

It looks like my emails weren't getting onto the ticket. I was replying to the email that said "please type your reply above this line"/"you can add a response by replying to this email". I don't know what I did wrong. Maybe the fact that my reply had an attachment (the video) broke the system?

Jay

Thanks for the info, I've located your new ticket and replied to it. Could you reply to my email as soon as possible?

Andrusz

Hello Russ, I am experiencing the exact same issue as yourself. Did they resolve the issue or not? It's quite frustrating considering you can't watch anything through Dropbox itself without the thumbnail of another video obscuring the video.

Planetmetal

Same exact issues. I click a video and a thumbnail from another video in the same folder just hides the actual video so I can't see any of the video at all. I'm also running it on the newest android.

Walter

Hey @Andrusz & @Planetmetal, sorry to hear you're having issues with this.

Can you please clarify your device's OS version and the version of the Dropbox mobile app installed there as well?

Have you cleared the app's cache since you first noticed this?

Zaffranad

Hi, I have the same issue, on my OnePlus 8T, with Android 13 up to date.
I have no issue with other apps on my phone. This is really annoying.

Andrusz

It's the latest version of Android. This problem has been an issue for at least 2 years at which point I have had 2 phones - Pixel 5 and Pixel 7.

I have uninstalled and reinstalled the apps on numerous occasions, sometimes for extended periods of time because it's practically useless and unusable with this current issue.

Just assume it's the latest version of whatever Android is out and it is affecting all versions of your software currently.

I actually planned to cancel your service entirely because to be quite honest this has been an issue for so long and it hasn't been addressed or resolved I thought it was embarrassingly pathetic and didn't want to continue to use your app.

But unfortunately for me I forgot to cancel before my subscription renewal so now I am stuck with another year of usage lol.

So please, don't apologize. Just fix your app lol. You have a year to figure out what the hell is wrong before I leave entirely and never use your services again.

Your video player doesn't work without a thumbnail from a different video blocking it. No idea why this is, but clearly it is not just me experiencing this issue and I am sure there are plenty of others who are they just - for whatever reason - aren't reaching out to get it resolved.

Eitherway it's the latest Android version. Whatever that happens to be now on the Pixel 7.

Hannah

Hey @Zaffranad and @Andrusz, sorry to see you're having this issue.

Would you mind sending us a screenshot of the issue, so we can have a visual?

Also, which version of Dropbox are you currently seeing this issue with?

Roug3_paig3

Whenever I try to watch a video in the app a thumbnail from another video pops up and completely covered the video I want to watch. I have no idea what could be the cause of this.

Gg93

This! I complained about this, too! Please stop asking for a picture-- there's one on this thread, if you scroll back. The app is unusable on the phone, and the phone is how I take videos and upload them. I've posted my OS, I've posted my Dropbox version, I've emailed, I've cleared the cache, I've uninstalled and reinstalled. I'm not only tempted to cancel my subscription, I'm thinking of asking for a refund for the months I've paid already. WHAT IS THE SOLUTION HERE?

Zaffranad

I Totally agree with you! This is a shame, for a paid service, to have a support as lame as this.
We all have the same problem.
If you can't find a solution, tell us, and we'll take the appropriate decision...
Dropbox is a product I use for many many years, it will not be an easy decision but I'll cancel my subscription. Ask for a refund is not a bad idea by the way...

itissid

Hi I am on Pixel 7 Pro and Android 13 and I am too affected by this issue. Can someone from the dropbox team please respond to this issue? Who is the PoC from the dev team looking for it? Are you able to reproduce the bug? This bug is almost 1 year old now.

Hannah

Hey everyone.

If you're still having this issue, can we reach out to you via email, so we can have an in-depth look into this?

Gg93

Yes, I am still having this issue and yes, please email me

Nancy

Hi @Gg93! Please check your email address, when possible, and reply back to my message.

dreaming_Ducks

Been having this problem for months now. No I will not email you. The problem has been demonstrated many times in this thread. Your fixes dont do anything. The fact that you continuously post the same exact steps that dont work and offer no real recourse exemplifies the fact that youre a company of hacks that cant even fix simple issues with your app. What an absolute disgrace. You should consider no longer being alive