Child Item

Dropbox Transfer - a missed opportunity

Unfortunately I have not used Dropbox for many years because transferring a file was so complicated for the recipient. It has always been unclear (to the recipient) how to manage the link and whether they need to open a Dropbox account, etc.

It's a pity that I cannot send a movie to my friend's mobile device and have them simply be able to play it when they receive it. I mistakenly thought that Dropbox had solved this problem when I heard about the "Transfer" service. People with Android devices will understand the problem - Android seriously limits the file size that can be sent with a text message.

As I understand it, "Transfer" requires the recipient to download and save the file, which of course is no use to a mobile device. There was such a great opportunity for Dropbox to solve a real-world problem here, but "Transfer" did not do that.

I don't mind sending a link to the recipient, but since the link will not open the file directly, "Transfer" is of no use to me.

Find more posts tagged with

Mobile

Shared Links

Dropbox Transfer

Developer

Promoted

Comments

Walter

Hey @Jim W.46 - thanks for sharing your thoughts on this with us.

When it comes to shared links, have you tried adjusting them to have them force the recipients' browser to download it directly?

Let me know if that would do the trick for you, Jim.

Jim W.46

Can anybody explain what a forced download means? It sounds like code that a web developer would put in a web page (?)

This is not related to the problem I am trying to solve, which involves mobile phone text messages, not web browsers.

I would like to send a link to a recipient by text message that would allow the recipient to view a video. So simple. Why can't this be done using Dropbox?

Rich

@Jim W.46 wrote:
I would like to send a link to a recipient by text message that would allow the recipient to view a video. So simple. Why can't this be done using Dropbox?

It can be done using Dropbox. Create a shared link to the video, and send it via text. Simple. Just be mindful of the bandwidth and time limits for streaming content from your account.

Jim W.46

Thanks Rich. The problem with Dropbox is that people tell you how easy it is to upload a file and create a link. Unfortunately the missing information is what hoops the recipient has to jump through to obtain and use the file.

Perhaps you or someone could explain from the beginning: 1) User receives text message containing link 2) Will he/she be "encouraged" to set up a Dropbox account? 3) What does the user have to do to download the file - what keystrokes are needed to do this? Does the user have to save it to their mobile phone file system? 4) Does the user need a Dropbox app? 5) To save the file does the user have to navigate somewhere or does it go into the download folder by default? 6) To use the file does the user have to find it first and then open/play it?

My original suggestion was that Dropbox could make all this happen effortlessly (click and play) It might require the text message app to cooperate - I don't know.

Hannah

Hey @Jim W.46, thanks for your reply and your feedback on this.

When you send someone a file through a shared link, things should be pretty straightforward.

When they tap on the link, the link should immediately open a page with the file in question.

They might be prompted to install the mobile app, but they should see an option on the screen to skip this part.

If they're prompted and they skip it, they should see the name of the file, which they can simply tap to open.

If they also want to download it to their device, they should also see a "download" button to do so, however, that's not required to view the file.

I hope this helps, but let us know if you need assistance with anything else.