Editing PDF'S on a Xiaomi tablet ? Works fine on Windows, Mac, iPad, but not on this Tablet.

Solved. Thank you for the direction on this being a Desktop View issue @Здравко

It was in "Desktop Site" mode per photo, but was showing the mobile menu, with no Edit. Toggling it off an on again did not refresh the page as i would have expected when switching mobile/desktop. Restarted the tablet, restarted Firefox. It now it starts in not Desktop Site -off-, but toggling it on refreshes the page, puts it in desktop site view, and the menu when a PDF is open or selected does indeed have the Edit menu.

I will now go learn how to force a Desktop site for dropbox.com

All comments

Hey @calvinbradshaw, let's jump right into this!

Could you send me a screenshot of the page you see when you try to open and edit your .PDF?

Do you miss the Edit button above the .pdf while previewing the file, or in the menu bar? Do you have the mobile app installed, in order to see if you can give it a try there?

Let me know more, and we'll take it from there!

OK, thanks. While i prepare the images, let me reply quickly with more specifics about the difference;

Noting that all tests are with the same dropbox account, looking at the same dropbox file. I have never seen this issue on Windows, MacOS or iPad, just on the Xiaomi tablet

1. So on the Dropbox app on a tablet, when viewing a PDF, in the bottom left of the page there is the edit button. Its there on my iPads, but the same file, with the same login is missing the "Edit" in the bottom left in the Dropbox app on the Xiaomi tablet.

2. When in a browser and on the Dropbox page, when you open a pdf, there is menu at the top. It is: Download | Open in | Add Signatures| Edit ...
This Edit option/link exists on all the browsers on my iPad, but never in any browsers on the Xiaomi. When the same pdf if open on the Xiomi, the menu is: Download | Open in | Add Signatures |. ... (and there is nothing in the ...)

I know know how screenshots will help, but i will get them for you now.
Thanks for the prompt response.

Hi @calvinbradshaw, take your time and thanks for the added info!

So, it seems you're missing the option to edit the .pdf on both the Dropbox app, and the website on the Xiaomi tablet, right?

Does this happen with a specific document, or multiple ones?

All that i have access to at the moment, which is 5. none of them work i.e I have looked at 5 PDF's that are editable in the Dropbox app, and in browsers on iPad/Windows/MacOS, but for which there is no edit button on the Xiaomi. Also these are small, simple PDF's. Nothing locked, not large, not complicated, just single pages.

I could try resetting the Xiaomi to factory settings, just in case?

Hi @calvinbradshaw, if you could get me some screenshots of how the browser and the app looks when you try to edit a .pdf in the Xiaomi, that would be perfect.

You could go for the reset, but let's wait a bit more before we go for it, so I can check with our Team about this.

I really wanted to rule this out, and its not used for anything else, so confirming i have now factory reset the Xiaomi pad 5 running MIUIPad 14.0.5.0 . Its updated to latest security patch/

I installed the dropbox app, and opened a really simple PDF test.pdf that is editable in Windows/Mac/iPad, however in the Dropbox app on this Xiaomi, still there is no edit button in the bottom left.

I opened the default browser, Chrome, signed into the Dropbox website, opened a test.pdf that is editable on Windows/Mac/iPad and when i open it in a browser window on the Xiaomi, there is still no edit option in the menu at the top.

Thanks,

See attached 2 images for browser, and Dropbox app after opening a PDF that is editable on iPad.
I have blurred out the confidential bits and used a test pdf

Dropbox in browser, the circled area is where the edit button is on an iPadDropbox app, on iPad, the circled area is where there is an edit button

Hi @calvinbradshaw, amazing job on the screenshots there!

Is there a chance that the .pdf is over 111 MB and or password protected? I doubt it, since it wouldn't open on a different device, but need to rule that one out too.

No, its a tiny pdf for testing, no P/W. Also, as you point out, all the other ones including to the test pdf open on other all devices than than the Xiaomi. I don't have another Android device to test it on to see if its a Xiaomi or Android issue. However if Android, i would be surprised if you had not seen this before? And my customer bought 20 of the Xiaomi's, and editing PDF is a critical part of the business workflow.

Walter

Hey @calvinbradshaw, sorry to jump in here, but I just wanted to mention that there's a new version of the mobile app.

Could you update to the new version on your Android device and let us know if the issue persists?

Hi Walter, don't be sorry... Thanks for replying. I have heard nothing back from the support ticket that i have logged, as yet (other than a fix is coming).

Yes i updated everything when i saw there were updates.

Our goal is for our 23 users to edit the pdf files on the Xiaomi tablets from within the dropbox website, like i can do seamlessly on an iPad.

I think it might be a Chromium or Xiaomi issue, because on the iPad i also can't see the edit button with Chrome, but it works fine in Safari (as in, there is the 'Edit PDF' button in Safari, not in Chrome). Note: I am using the same account, same small file for testing to rule out anything else.

Summary, if this helps;

1. When opening a PDF in Safari on an iPad, the menu (a the top of the PSF preview) is
"Page 1 of 1 | Edit PDF | Watermark | Self Sign | Send for signature"

2. When opening the same PDF in Chrome on the Xiaomi or the iPad, the menu is
"Page 1 of 1 | Watermark | Add signatures". (still no edit PDF)

3. When opening the same PDF in Firefox on the Xiaomi, the menu is missing. literally nothing above the preview, the " ... " menu on the right does give some optiond, but no editing.

Moving onto the Dropbox app, what version number should i be on please? I am on version 342.2.4 (28 Aug)

1. On the Xiaomi, there is a weird bug where, on the Dropbox app Home page, the leftmost 1/3 of the screen is blank (not an issue on Dropbox iPad app), can send a screenshot if you want. the "+" that is normally in the middle of the page at the bottom is a line up, on the right. Its really unusable like this.

2. When i open a PDF, there is still no "Edit" option in the bottom left (like there is on the iPadOS version of the Dropbox App)

Sadly we are looking at alternatives to Dropbox now. Its be fine for 10 years, 20+ users, and really the access via API is great (we use that via Make/Integromat now) , but we need to keep progressing as a company and this PDF thing is so annoying.

Hi @calvinbradshaw,

In browser view, when you tap on the ellipsis (three dots) doesn't 'edit' bring up in the menu? 🧐

Yes, as mentioned, in Firefox on the Xiaomi tablet, clicking the ellipsis brings up the missing menu, but there is no Edit PDF Option.
In Google Chrome on the Xiaomi tablet and the iPad, the menu is already there, there is no ellipsis, but there is no Edit PDF option
In Safari on the iPad, it looks the same, but there is an additional menu option, "Edit PDF".

Hm... 🤔 Selecting 'Edit' lets me edit pdf:

Screenshot_20230906_120444_org.mozilla.firefox.png

What happens when you tap on 'Edit' in your menu? 🧐

Its not there.

Can i ask what tablet and browser you are using please. I would like to try that browser.

It's latest version of Firefox on my Android 10 phone.

Add: One more clarification is that I always use desktop view. In regular view some things don't show well (not Dropbox menus only).

Yes, its on a tablet, and is desktop view.

I also have the latest Firefox (in case it was a Chromium issue), and there is no "Edit PDF" menu, consistent with what i see in Chrome and in the Dropbox app.

I know where 'Edit PDF' should be, everything works perfectly on my Mac and iPad, and Firefox windows.

I am starting to think its a Xiaomi issue. Could that be possible?

Would be strange to be a Xiaomi issue since Firefox is independent software and is supposed to be the same everywhere. On your screenshot, ellipsis appears on correct place; what menu comes up when you tap on there? Can you post screenshot showing this menu?

Interestingly though, that looks like the mobile menu, not the desktop menu. I am definitely using the desktop view (top right vertical ellipsis menu > "Desktop site" toggled on.

I need to test this some more. Please hold.

😁 Yes, but here the PDF is still not open. Try the same view like in your previous screenshot you posted (the one I talked about). 😉