Syncing error with the Dropbox mobile app on Android

Hi Stephen, today's Dropbox Android app update appears to have resolved the issue and files are again syncing in the normal way. I thank the staff for their help!

All comments

Hey @PDub81 - sorry to hear you're having issues with this.

Could you let us know your device's OS version and the version of the Dropbox mobile app installed there as well?

Have you tried clearing the app's cache since you first noticed this?

Let us know more and we'll take it from there.

Thanks, Walter. Android 10 and Dropbox app version 368.2.2. I cleared the Dropbox cache in Android settings, which did nothing, but I see that clearing it in the Dropbox app itself does force a fresh sync without logging out, but it still has to be done every time a file has been updated elsewhere.

Also, I tested to make sure this was not just a problem with one particular file. No files are syncing from other devices without logging out and in or else after clearing the cache. Furthermore, and stranger, after clearing the cache, a file can be updated multiple times from other devices and will still sync correctly the first time it is opened in the Android app, but then it will not sync again until the cache is cleared again.

I see, thanks for the additional information @PDub81

Would it be OK if we reached out via email to have a further look internally?

Yes, thank you.

Thanks for the cooperation @PDub81 - you've got :envelope:

Stephen_G

Hi. Did this issue (of not syncing properly to an android phone) get resolved? I've been having exactly the same issue for about 10 days now, precisely as you describe it, and it's driving me nuts! I have logged a call and been corresponding with a very helpful member of Dropbox Support staff, but we have not worked it out yet. I just saw your posts today, and your description of the cache was very helpful, I tried that and have got the exact same behaviour as you. Please share your findings if you have solved it, thank you!

Hi Stephen, today's Dropbox Android app update appears to have resolved the issue and files are again syncing in the normal way. I thank the staff for their help!

Stephen_G

Hi PDub81. Thanks very much for your reply, following which I manually updated the Dropbox app on my phone (I had uninstalled and re-installed a few times in the past week, so this must be very recent) and can confirm that the issue is resolved for me now too. Thanks also from me to the Dropbox staff for getting this sorted. Go raibh míle maith agaibh!

FloraC

Ok, this is happening to me. I have cleared the cache both in the app and on my phone, I've checked for updates (none needed), I've uninstalled and reinstalled, I've logged in and out, I have plenty of storage left on the phone and in Dropbox. Nothing is working. Files uploaded on phone are not showing up on laptop, and ditto the other way. Any other ideas???

Stephen_G

Hi FloraC. That sounds frustrating!

I have just done a quick test and can confirm that mine is working fine, i.e. if I update a file on my non-Android device, it is then correctly synced on my Android device immediately, and vice versa. So, that would lead me to believe this is a different issue to the one resolved on this thread a few months ago, which was resolved by Dropbox issuing another update.

Best of luck getting it sorted out.

Stephen.

Nancy

I’m sorry to hear about this, @FloraC.

If you upload a file via your mobile app, is it also not showing on www.dropbox.com? Same way, when adding files on your laptop, can you see them normally on the website?

Other than that, I'd like to know the current app version of your mobile app to make sure it’s not on beta.

ysubassoon

You may want to check your battery saving options to see if Dropbox is sleeping or deep sleeping, which can affect the app's ability to sync.

This syncing error with the Android app has resurfaced in the past several weeks. Sometimes clearing the cache works, sometimes not. The app is up to date. What is going on?

Hi @PDub81, what type of files are you updating from the Android device, and which app are you using to update them?

Plain text, using Notepad in Windows and the in-app editor on Dropbox for Android

Is this occurring when editing the file on either end, or just from one device to another?

I have only noticed it when opening the file on my phone, but I don't make changes if I notice it hasn't been updated. Does that make sense?

If you edit the file on the phone, does it reflect the change on the Dropbox site?

Do you see any changes on the events page?

Yes, but everything is currently in sync. I'll try again when it's not.

I'm sorry for the "undefined" comments above. Now I'm having trouble with this website too. I encountered the syncing error again less than an hour ago and updated the plain text file from my phone. The "events" page shows it as "(conflicted copy)."

Did you have the same file open on another device of yours while you were editing it on your mobile @PDub81? This could explain why you're seeing a conflicted copy.

Also, what is your device's exact OS version and the version of the Dropbox app installed there?

No, the file was not open on another device. Android OS version 14, Dropbox Android 410.2.6

Just for clarification, was the text file open on the Dropbox site as well, or only on the mobile app while you were editing the file?

No, only the mobile app.

Does this occur when you edit a text file regardless of the location in your Dropbox account?

I don't know. I've only noticed it with a single file in the main folder, not a subfolder.

Could you try testing it with a file in a private, unshared, subfolder to see if you get the same behavior? What is the name of the file, and does it occur on any file?

Are you certain that this file isn't being accessed by any programs on your computer or any other apps or services that could be connected to Dropbox?

File name is 00 Calendar. It is literally the only file I access from multiple devices on a daily basis. Yes, it is closed on other devices when the syncing error occurs.