I have this issue every time my wife or I get a new phone. Dropbox upload over cellular or WiFi works fine, but it is slow. Here is my setup: iPhone 14Pro: Dropbox Version 316.2 (updated Feb 15, 2023); iOS 16.2 * Dropbox App: Personal tab > Camera Uploads > Off * iPhone Settings > Dropbox > Photos (set to All Photos) * iPhone Settings > Dropbox > Camera, Face ID, Background App Refresh and Cellular Data (all are toggled on) MacBook Pro 2022 settings: Dropbox v167.4.4719; Mac OS 13.1 Ventura * Dropbox > Preferences > Backups: Enable camera uploads for: Photos and videos (checked) My phone, plugged in by USB-C-to-Lightning Cable directly to my MacBook Pro, uploads photos after a short delay. My wife's phone does not. This is the process I go through each time I plug it in: * "Keep your memories safe" dialogue appears * Select my Personal Dropbox (Dropbox Professional with 3TB storage) because I have a business account as well * Select "Include videos..." * Hit "Start import" * Click on the Dropbox icon in the menu bar; at the bottom it reads "Importing photos..." * Yes, there are new photos. If I turn on Camera Uploads over WiFi, it starts uploading over 300 files slowly... I have tried every suggestion from every Dropbox forum post and several from other sites, including: * turning Camera Uploads off and on (though my goal is to leave wireless uploading off) * signing out of the Dropbox App on her phone and uninstalling it, restarting the phone, reinstalling the app and trying again * signing out of the Dropbox App on my Mac, restarting and signing back in, then trying again I'm happy to offer any other info that helps, and hope that there is a solution that applies only to those of us that prefer a wired Camera Upload experience.

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Dropbox not importing photos over wired connection between iPhone and MacBook

I have this issue every time my wife or I get a new phone. Dropbox upload over cellular or WiFi works fine, but it is slow.

Here is my setup:
iPhone 14Pro: Dropbox Version 316.2 (updated Feb 15, 2023); iOS 16.2

Dropbox App: Personal tab > Camera Uploads > Off
iPhone Settings > Dropbox > Photos (set to All Photos)
iPhone Settings > Dropbox > Camera, Face ID, Background App Refresh and Cellular Data (all are toggled on)

MacBook Pro 2022 settings: Dropbox v167.4.4719; Mac OS 13.1 Ventura

Dropbox > Preferences > Backups: Enable camera uploads for: Photos and videos (checked)

My phone, plugged in by USB-C-to-Lightning Cable directly to my MacBook Pro, uploads photos after a short delay. My wife's phone does not. This is the process I go through each time I plug it in:

"Keep your memories safe" dialogue appears
Select my Personal Dropbox (Dropbox Professional with 3TB storage) because I have a business account as well
Select "Include videos..."
Hit "Start import"
Click on the Dropbox icon in the menu bar; at the bottom it reads "Importing photos..."
Yes, there are new photos. If I turn on Camera Uploads over WiFi, it starts uploading over 300 files slowly...

I have tried every suggestion from every Dropbox forum post and several from other sites, including:

turning Camera Uploads off and on (though my goal is to leave wireless uploading off)
signing out of the Dropbox App on her phone and uninstalling it, restarting the phone, reinstalling the app and trying again
signing out of the Dropbox App on my Mac, restarting and signing back in, then trying again

I'm happy to offer any other info that helps, and hope that there is a solution that applies only to those of us that prefer a wired Camera Upload experience.

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Accepted answers

ccaravello

Yes, that is the correct Camera Uploads icon (Dropbox box with tiny camera at the bottom right). I was finally able to get it working this time, only after:

Logging out and back in to Dropbox app (MacOS)
Restarting my MacBook Pro
Restarting my iPhone
Signing out and back in to my Dropbox app (iOS)

The information you requested is:

My current MacOS: Ventura 13.5.2
Dropbox app (MacOS): 184.4.6543

My Camera Uploads Feature is always turned off. When this issue arose in the past, I tested toggling it on and off, but it never fixed the issue. It only started the slow process of wireless uploading. Also, it is not required for wire-transfer of Camera Uploads. I prefer to leave it disabled as I have several services already syncing. I prefer to allow Dropbox Camera Upload over wired connection only.

For this year, my issue is resolved, but I hope this helps others. I will await my iPhone 16 and see if it gets any easier, but truly appreciate the quick support!

All comments

Jay

Hi @ccaravello, thanks for bringing this to our attention.

Just for clarification, when you wife's phone was connected, did you ever see a prompt to upload images?

This will help me to assist further!

ccaravello

Jay,

Thanks for the quick reply. When I connect her phone, the dialogue appears "Keep your memories safe" and allows me to "Choose a Dropbox to save to." I checked the "Include videos..." then hit "Start Import." The phone gives me that Trust prompt to allow it access. On my MacBook, I click the Dropbox icon (from the top menu bar) and, at the bottom of the flyout menu, it says "Importing photos". Now, as I am testing this to give you accurate information, I plugged my wife's phone in and it immediately started syncing! I ran this cycle for an hour the other night, without success. Though my problem seems fixed for now, please reach out with further inquiries that can help resolve it for others.

Thank you!

Chris

Jay

I'm glad to hear that it seems to be working for now.

Just to clarify, when it said 'choose a Dropbox to save to', do you have a Dropbox Business team linked to a personal account, so you had the choice to upload to either account?

ccaravello

Jay,

It's that time of year again, and I have a brand new iPhone 15Pro. Same issue. Yes, I do have a Personal and a Business Account. Each time I connect my phone (now USB-C/Thunderbolt cable on both ends) to my MacBook Pro, The Dropbox Dialog pops up, asking me to choose which Dropbox to upload photos to. I choose Personal and continue. The dialog goes away, and if I click the Dropbox icon up in my system tray (top right of my screen), the status at the bottom of the Dropbox pulldown says "Importing photos...". What I do not see is the little camera import icon on the Dropbox Icon itself. I have restarted both my computer and my phone. Each year, after about an hour of restarting my devices, logging in and out of Dropbox on both devices, eventually it resolves, but it is really frustrating, and there is no clear indication of what exactly makes it finally work.

Thanks for your help and apologies for just seeing your message from February!

Walter

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

Just to clarify here, you're referring to the icon included in this Help Center article for Camera uploads in progress - right?

Could you let us know the OS version of your computer and the version of the desktop app installed there as well?

Have you tried turning off the camera uploads feature and then back on or adjust your bandwidth settings through the desktop app's preferences?

Any additional information or screenshots are more than welcome!

ccaravello

Yes, that is the correct Camera Uploads icon (Dropbox box with tiny camera at the bottom right). I was finally able to get it working this time, only after:

Logging out and back in to Dropbox app (MacOS)
Restarting my MacBook Pro
Restarting my iPhone
Signing out and back in to my Dropbox app (iOS)

The information you requested is:

My current MacOS: Ventura 13.5.2
Dropbox app (MacOS): 184.4.6543

For this year, my issue is resolved, but I hope this helps others. I will await my iPhone 16 and see if it gets any easier, but truly appreciate the quick support!

Walter

No worries @ccaravello - I'm just glad to hear it's sorted now and thanks for keeping us in the loop too!

As for the desktop app, you can update to the most recent version from this page directly.

Let us know if anything else comes up!