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Is there a way to run the Dropbox app in the background on my iPhone?

Don1990

Hey everyone,

I just switched to an Android from an iPhone. I am facing a feature problem that I loved on my iPhone! Which is, if I open up an audio file from my dropbox app I can just do other stuff on my phone. On android however, it stops playing whenever I switch over to a different app.

Is there a way to let it run in the background just like the iPhone? Thanks!

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Jay

Hi @Don1990, thanks for posting today!

Currently, when previewing files via the Dropbox mobile app, it needs to be in the foreground. In this instance, it wouldn't be possible to have the app playing music while it was in the background.

If you'd like to see this change, you can suggest this idea for others to vote on, so the dev team can look into this in future!

Don1990

Thank you for your response Jay!

How come it is possible on iPhone but not on Android? Just out of curiousity. Thanks again.

Jay

This option shouldn't be possible on iOS devices, so the fact that it was working is not expected behavior.

Don1990

Whut? I've been using it for years like this on MULTIPLE iPhones lol. I can't imagine using dropbox without it.

elijahjey

Switched from apple to Android and dropbox on apple allows you to play music while having the app in the background. Android doesn't and it's pretty inconvenient. I was reading a post where someone said that being able to play music in background on apple is unexpected behavior but that doesn't change the fact that it's possible on apple. Please make this a thing. Kinda regret coming to Android after being with apple for so long but the way life is playing out, I had too.

Nancy

Hey @elijahjey! I hope you’re doing well.

Thanks for your feedback on this; it’s much appreciated, and I’ve also passed it along to our team for you, so that they can see your suggestion.

Don1990

Had the same issue when I switched to Android. Switched back to Apple again, not saying this was the only reason but definitely a huge reason.

Don1990

In the past 4 years since starting this topic, I've had multiple iPhones and iPads. They all had this option.

Now I've switched to Android again, and this option is still not available on my Android phone/tablet.

Am I the only one that (accidentally?) has this feature on iOS or am I tripping?

anzilone

Unfortunately, the Dropbox app on Android doesn’t support background playback of audio files directly like it does on iPhone. However, you can try these workarounds:

Download the File: Download the audio file to your device and play it with a media player that supports background playback.
Use a Third-Party Media Player: Open the audio file with a third-party app (e.g., VLC Media Player), which allows background playback.
Split-Screen Mode: On Android, you can use split-screen mode to keep Dropbox open while using another app.

These methods can help you continue listening while multitasking!