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Dropbox on Android suddenly unable to open Text / .MD file

I ve a shared folder on my android 11 (kernel 4.4.177) in there ive a text file FILE.txt , which i renamed File.MD (markdown) so i can share with my usual note editor on MAC. it has been working perfectly for months. The first time i opened it, i was asked the default app, i set Dropbox and everything was fine.

then suddently a week or so ago, when i click on the file it just open "my garmin connect" which is not a text editor. I checked and the setting was "open with dropbox" - i deleted the preferred APP, hoping I would have been asked again ... to no avail.

if i go to default app there are none now

dropbox version on Android is 320.2.10

Can you help me?

Thanks

Manolo

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jamescaroll34

I hope they fix this, this feature was really useful. I would like to freely use such tools, without restrictions. By the way, the same goes for freedom of speech, I recently found this site https://papersowl.com/examples/freedom-of-speech/ and now preparing for writing tasks in college has become much easier. I found a lot of interesting articles there, I'm sure it will be useful to all students.

BenDBX

Hi Everybody,

Thanks for bringing this to our attention. This feature was not deprecated, but we are aware that some file types (including html) are not opening properly on mobile. We are actively working on a fix. I will update this thread with more information when I have it!

Regards,

Ben

vseavello

on the files I've needed to edit I've simply changed the extension from .html to .txt, made the change, then changed the extension back. I'd much prefer to have an option to edit .html files instead of render them. In fact, I'd prefer edit to be the default.

pseo

Hi, it's been 3 weeks since this issue was first raised, and we still haven't heard anything back.

Is anyone following through? Can we get any updates or ideas of what to expect, i.e. is this a difficult problem that will take one year to solve? Or is it not a priority and won't ever be addressed?

Who is in charge of such issues, and who do I contact to request that it be addressed?

Has anyone else here found a good alternative to Dropbox, paid or not, that allows easy touch-and-go Android access to synced MD files? Thanks everyone else.

rotello

My former workflow was: while on the go open .md in dropbox, use the speech-to-text to write stuff, save it - back at home open Obsidian and manage the content

now it's : record a vocal on Telegram, send it to myself, and back home listen to it and add to obsidian.

take more time, but it s not a vital issue for me.

Walter

Hi all and happy Monday!

I just wanted to give you an update on this as we've heard back from the team and it seems that this issue should be fixed with the most recent beta version of the mobile app.

For anyone interested, you can have a look here for more information.

TheViking

I just switched to the beta version. Opening .md files does indeed work again!

pseo

Thanks for the update, and thank you dev team. The beta looks like it has fixed the issue. Hopefully the beta gets pushed to public soon for everyone.

pmurkowsky

Seems like the issue was fixed with todays update of the public app (version 324.2.2). Thanks to the dropbox team and happy editing :-).

Rachel L.

It's looking like perhaps the issue is fixed today...? This afternoon direct tapping files automatically opens them in some sort of viewer but the option to open text AND HTML files in Dropbox Text Editor appears when tapping the three dots. I have yet to try editing/saving an HTML file in this manner so I may report back later if there's a problem but it looks good!

Scrappy_Monkey

Folks,

I have a Pixel 4A running Android13 and Dropbox 322.2.4. Up until yesterday, touching on a .txt file would open it in the editor directly. Today, however, the file opens in the viewer, and you must click the three dots at the upper right, then click "Open with..." near the bottom. This doesn't take you to a list of options of what to open the file with, but opens it directly in the editor.

What needs to be done to go back to the behavior of opening directly in the editor when the file is touched instead of the additional steps (viewer > dots > "Open with...")?

Thanks,
Scrappy

The file open in viewer. Click the three dots at upper right...... to get to this menu. Click "Open with..." near the bottom...... to finally get to the editor.

Walter

Hey @Scrappy_Monkey, thanks for your report.

Could you try updating the version of the Dropbox mobile app and let us know if this persists?

Scrappy_Monkey

I've updated to 324.2.2 via the Google Play Store and rebooted. Behavior is the same.

Hannah

Hey @Scrappy_Monkey, have you perhaps tried the beta version, like Walter suggested here?

Scrappy_Monkey

@Hannah, I have not tried any beta versions. The behavior has been with the versions I stated previously in this discussion.

To be honest, I'm really not interested in becoming a beta tester in the off chance the latest beta might fix this issue, because I really don't want to deal with the possibility of other issues cropping up. I fully understand the purpose and importance of beta testing, so this is not an issue of me not "getting" what it is and the need for users to participate. Thank you for the suggestion, though!

I'll either just deal with the extra steps until it's fixed in a standard release or I will use other apps/methods to operate with these files.

speedijim

I am very unhappy about the latest text editor.. I have numerous text files that I edit frequently. The new editor requires me to select edit, the old one opened in edit mode. When I was done it saved and closed the file. Can I get the old editor back?

Rachel L.

Guys, the Dropbox Text Editor has AGAIN disappeared as an option to edit text and HTML files. Please, please, PLEASE for the love of God bring it back, I literally use it every day. Version 352.2.2, just updated and messed itself up again today. ">😫

Jay

Hi @Rachel L., if you're not on a Dropbox Basic plan with more than 3 devices connected, could you try uninstalling the app, rebooting the device, and re-installing it to see if this helps?

TheRealGandalf

For the longest time, Dropbox app opened text files (as in .txt files) just fine, allowing me to edit them -- which was very handy for such things as a shared grocery list between my wife and I. I could delete things as I added them to my cart. Then about 6+ months ago, it defaulted to some internal (?) program to let me read them and I had to go back and force it to "open with " to get to an editor. (Oddly, it wouldn't show me what was opening it, it just did).

Now, as of a couple days ago, an actual editor option is gone altogether. It only offers me two choices: an HTML Text Viewer (not editor, viewer only) or my browser (Brave). I have not added, removed, or disabled any apps on my phone.

Has text become so advanced and complicated that it can no longer be opened and edited by anything? What gives, Dropbox?

If an "update" (how I loathe them -- more trouble than they are worth) is causing this, how do I revert to an older version?

Any ideas on what's causing this? I prefer not to download yet another app to fix an unnecessary problem in the DB app that shouldn't have been messed up to begin with.

Thanks in advance.

Jay

Hi @TheRealGandalf, I've merged you to this post, could you try these steps to see if they help?

TheRealGandalf

This isn't helpful. You merge me into a thread with 50 replies, most of which are DB staff saying how important this issue is, that they're aware of it, and yet it's a thread from 8 months ago with no resolution. So much for importance or doing something about it. And I'm not the only one. You (or some DB staff) merged others into this and also complained that's the only help they get.

IF there's a solution why not simply reply to the original post (meaning my original or the others so merged) with a link to the answer. Instead, I have to scroll through 50 replies in hopes of finding the answer that, if there is one, would be a lot easier to just point that ONE answer out. Instead, now you've dropped me here, there are 51 comments.

Customer service is a lost art. I have to wonder, due to the lack of usefulness, if all these mergings/oh-it's-so-important-to-us's are just autobots.

Wow.