Re: Dropbox

Anssi Saari <anssi.saari@usenet.mail.kapsi.fi> wrote:

VanguardLH <V@nguard.LH> writes:
 

Can you see that file in a directory on the phone with a file manager?
If not, it's as I said, Dropbox is not syncing. From the rest of your
post it seems we have a very different view of what sync means. To me it
means all files in all Dropbox directories copied to all synced systems,
which is what Dropbox does on Windows and Linux PCs at least.

 

Not sure how I could open a file shown in the Dropbox client on Android
to let me edit it if it weren't downloaded.  How do you open a file on a
local device that is still in the cloud?  I wasn't using a web app to
edit the file.  I wasn't taken to some web page to then download or open
the file.

 
Is your answer to my question then no? Can you open a file in the
Dropbox client on Android if you put your phone into Airplane mode? If
not, Dropbox on Android doesn't sync.

In Airplane Mode, no, I cannot open the file.  So the sync is on-demand,
not background unattended.

https://help.dropbox.com/sync/access-files-offline

This is similar to OneDrive works, too, even on a PC when using Files
On-Demand.  Instead of wasting bandwidth for files that may not be
accessed, hotlinks are provided.  When you want the file is when the
bandwidth gets used.

https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/office/save-disk-space-with-onedrive-files-on-demand-for-windows-0e6860d3-d9f3-4971-b321-7092438fb38e?ui=en-us&rs=en-us&ad=us

Very similar for the two: select to make a file to make offline if you
need a local copy rather than download on-demand.  Not everyone gets
unlimited cellular data service, so control is still left with you.