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Scrolling, zooming and searching in PDF files in the iOS app doesn't work normally

When viewing PDF files on the iOS mobile app, the files open normally, but the scrolling, zooming, and search functions are completely useless.

When trying to swipe scroll, the pages moves the slightest fraction of an inch, then stalls. No smooth scrolling. Even holding my finger on the screen doesn’t help.

Pinch zooming stalls like scrolling. It will zoom in or out the slightest amount and then stop despite still pinching.

The search function opens, but as soon as I tap in the field to type something to search, it drops the keyboard as if I’ve clicked “go,” so I am completely unable to search anything.

These glitches came up only in the last few days, and the latest update did nothing to fix them.

Dropbox app version 386.2
iPhone 14
iOS 17.5.1

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Jay

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

Is this occurring for all PDF files, or just specific ones on your account?

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?

Keep me updated with any progress!

All comments

Jay

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

Is this occurring for all PDF files, or just specific ones on your account?

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?

Keep me updated with any progress!

cltchrn

Upon further investigation, it appears to only have occurred with files that I have made “available offline.” When I “uncheck” that option, and view the file, scrolling and zooming work normally. When I “make available offline” again after removing it, the problem returns.

I will try uninstalling and see if that helps.

cltchrn

After uninstalling and reinstalling, files made “available offline” function normally again. Thanks for the help!

cltchrn

Now that it’s been a few hours, the problem has returned. It seems to go away as long as I remove the files from “make available offline.”

Nancy

Hope it’s OK to chime in, @cltchrn.

Did this issue surface with the latest Dropbox app update perhaps or have you had it for a while now?

What’s the average size of a file you make offline on the app?

Did you also clear the Dropbox app’s cache before reinstalling?

jwdoom

I was having the same problem. Clearing the cache worked for me, even without reinstalling. I'm a Plus account user on an iPhone SE 2020 with 4 devices, if that matters/helps. -- Edited to say I also had the problem reoccur. It also seems to be connected to setting the file to Make Availble Offline.

zacw

Does this happen to all PDF documents, or just certain ones? If you offline one PDF and view another PDF, does the second PDF also suffer the problem? It sounds almost like the file is resetting periodically while you're viewing it, which you're right may be related to offline.

cltchrn

No, the issue developed prior to the most recent update, but it had only been occurring for about a week. After the update, it still did not go away. The only thing that returned the scrolling, zooming, and search functions to normal was removing them from the “make available offline” option.

cltchrn

This happens to every PDF which I have set to “make available offline.” Making one file available offline doesn’t affect other files.

zacw

Can you tell me how you're accessing the files that have the problem? For example: from the Home tab under Recents or the Files tab. I'm curious if it's happening only from a certain place, or if navigating to the file a different way (e.g. searching for it) also has the issue.

zacw

Also if you can, could you record the screen when this is happening so I can see if I can pick up any clues about what's going on? You can email it to me (zacw@dropbox.com) if it contains anything private.