Dropbox On iPad Mini

[gazza55]

I am using dropbox on iPad mini. When I log into dropbox and go into a folder which contains songs and click on any song I get the following error message. You can't preview a ".doc" file or a pdf file, I have to download it first. Just wondering if I need to download any further programs to resolve this.

 

[KevinJS]

I'm bothered by the file extension .doc. That is a Microsoft Word file, not a music file.

 

[Deleted member 247820]

Hi Gazza ...
Maybe worth deleting and re installing dropbox on your iPad.
You should not loose any files in dropbox.
Have you tried accessing the dropbox files on a PC or Mac?

 

[J. A.]

You should be able to play most of the songs on Dropbox. There's an app that will also play your songs from Dropbox:
Tunebox - Dropbox Cloud Music Player, Stream Audio, Podcasts and Media by Supercritical Flow
https://appsto.re/at/hYMwC.i
It's not free.

 

[gazza55]

Hi Gazza ...
Maybe worth deleting and re installing dropbox on your iPad.
You should not loose any files in dropbox.
Have you tried accessing the dropbox files on a PC or Mac?

Hi Peter

I can log into dropbox on my MacBook pro and don't encounter the same issue. I can view all the files without having to download them. Will try deleting and re installing as you suggested.

Regards
Gary

 

[twerppoet]

Dropbox on a computer and Dropbox on iOS behave differently. On a Mac, (or other computer) Dropbox creates a folder that by default syncs ally our files. This means the files are local. On iOS Dropbox files are in the cloud by default.

In short. On a computer you have to tell Dropbox not to keep local files if you don't want them on the computer.
In iOS you have to tell Dropbox to keep files local, or they are only in the cloud and need to be downloaded each time.

So, when you preview a file on the Mac, you are looking at the file on your Mac. When you preview a file on iOS the file has to be downloaded first, unless it's one of the few formats that will stream; like audio or video. Word documents (.doc) can not be streamed, so they have to be downloaded first before you can view (or preview) them.

 

[gazza55]

Dropbox on a computer and Dropbox on iOS behave differently. On a Mac, (or other computer) Dropbox creates a folder that by default syncs ally our files. This means the files are local. On iOS Dropbox files are in the cloud by default.

In short. On a computer you have to tell Dropbox not to keep local files if you don't want them on the computer.
In iOS you have to tell Dropbox to keep files local, or they are only in the cloud and need to be downloaded each time.

So, when you preview a file on the Mac, you are looking at the file on your Mac. When you preview a file on iOS the file has to be downloaded first, unless it's one of the few formats that will stream; like audio or video. Word documents (.doc) can not be streamed, so they have to be downloaded first before you can view (or preview) them.

Hi

Thats great, that clarify's the issue for me. Didn't realise dropbox behaved differently on the two different formats.

Gary

 

[twerppoet]

No problem.

 

[Deleted member 247820]

Hi Gazza.
Does your reply mean you have been able to view the files on your iPad?

 

[gazza55]

Hi Gazza.
Does your reply mean you have been able to view the files on your iPad?

Hi Peter

I downloaded the dropbox app onto my iPad and I have been able to view the files when using the app. I was previously going onto dropbox via the web.

 

[brixtonboy]

Hi sorry to put my foot in. But if you have since removed the photos from your iPad that you have in your Dropbox account, it is also possible to copy them back again.
When l wanted to do this the help files were out of date.

 

[Deleted member 247820]

Hi Gazza.
I have used dropbox on iPad for a long time with no problems.
It is excellent for small files.
Thanks, that makes the whole post clear for me.

 

[Deleted member 247820]

Hi Brixtonboy.
Were you not able to return files to Dropbox?
Do you mean photo files?
I am interested to know what help files were out of date, and how that stopped your action.

 

[brixtonboy]

Hi Peter
It was a couple of months ago, l have many photos in my Dropbox account and wanted to download some of them to my iPad Air 2.
The instructions from Dropbox did not help, out of date l thought. Whilst playing with the photo on my iPad screen l held my pen on the photo and 2 options appeared.
Attached are 3 screen shots to show what l mean

 

[Deleted member 247820]

Hi Brixtonboy.
Looks like a great hobby you have!