On mobile, it prompts you to either “get the app” or “open app” with no way to click past. Screenshot won’t upload.

This is worse from several months ago https://lemmy.today/post/8935690

  • subignition@fedia.io
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    5 months ago

    That’s pretty scummy. It doesn’t require login on desktop view.

    Two workarounds:

    1. enable desktop view, then you can close the login prompt and zoom way in to find the actual download button
    2. easier, change dl=0 to dl=1 at the end of the URL and it will bypass all of that and download directly.
      • subignition@fedia.io
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        5 months ago

        Then I would question whether the file was shared correctly by the uploader. I shared a file from my Dropbox, setting it so anyone with the link could view, and was able to download it from desktop view on mobile Firefox (in incognito mode)

        There is an option to require a password to view the file, is there any possibility that that was set in your case?

          • subignition@fedia.io
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            5 months ago

            Only other thing I can think of is the specific mobile device/browser combo isn’t properly requesting the desktop site. Or there is somehow an entirely separate sharing option that is functioning differently

            • Kairos@lemmy.todayOP
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              5 months ago

              It is requesting it properly. Mobile site only gives me option to download or open app.

  • Moonrise2473@feddit.it
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    5 months ago

    Shared from a paid account or from a free account?

    If shared from paid account, then tomorrow I’m going to cancel our company account as this is unacceptable, we use that for sharing files in emails (we tried to use a self hosted nextcloud but customers are too dumb to figure out how to press the download button)

    • Kairos@lemmy.todayOP
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      5 months ago

      Paid. There may have been something that affected it but we don’t know what. Can you do your own tests and report back?

      • Moonrise2473@feddit.it
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        5 months ago

        Both on mobile and desktop there’s a “login wall” but it can be dismissed by pressing on the X.

        Still, it’s a dark pattern that I don’t like, tomorrow at work we will discuss alternatives as we subscribed (one single account shared between everyone) just for sending attachments with filelink using thunderbird - and with a “login wall” it no longer fits the purpose

          • Moonrise2473@feddit.it
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            5 months ago

            On the top right. Maybe it’s some a/b testing to see which one “converts” (=annoys) more. I don’t have the “just take me to the download” link like in the other image, just the X to close the login popup

            Unacceptable IMHO, I just want to give my clients an easy link to download the huge files I’m sending them without ads or tricks. With this wall many users will get confused and create a new account

            • Kairos@lemmy.todayOP
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              5 months ago

              Yeah it’s gotta be A-B testing. Switching to dl=1 just returned a passive-aggressive “Hmm that doesn’t look right” page. I didn’t check the error code because mobile.

    • Kairos@lemmy.todayOP
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      5 months ago

      Except the vast majority of Dropbox users pay for it.

      Edit: adjusted to how much they use it/share files.

      • mindlight@lemm.ee
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        5 months ago

        That’s interesting. My experience is the exact opposite. Do you have any links to information on paying Dropbox customers?

          • Irremarkable@fedia.io
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            5 months ago

            Dropbox’s own website claims they have >700M users.

            18M paying customers is a lot (and I wouldn’t be surprised if in terms of percentage of data stored paying customers are the majority), but nowhere near a vast majority.

            • subignition@fedia.io
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              5 months ago

              If you were to look at the average cloud storage usage per user, split by free or paid, I think you would find that free users are using rather less space in total than you’d expect

              But I agree, I did some of their cute ARG stuff for extra space when they were still acting like a startup and otherwise haven’t paid them a cent.

        • Moonrise2473@feddit.it
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          5 months ago

          Free usage is still limited to 2gb unless you got a lot of referrals. It was a lot in 2008, but it’s difficult to daily use that in 2024

    • AndrewZabar@lemmy.world
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      5 months ago

      Yeah except in this case this entire complaint is bullshit because somewhere there was user error. I tested it and it worked totally fine just using mobile browser. Simply offered to get app or continue using browser.

  • ColdWater@lemmy.ca
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    5 months ago

    Dropdox and Mega,nz are the worst file sharing service ever made, I don’t know why people still using their service and it’s infuriating when I have to download from their shitty ass website

    • pyre@lemmy.world
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      5 months ago

      ive always hated Dropbox so much. it’s terrible with syncing as well.

    • AndrewZabar@lemmy.world
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      5 months ago

      I have used both for many years and everything has worked absolutely as intended and I’ve had no problems.

      Maybe not everyone knows what they’re doing completely? Maybe many people do something wrong by mistake but don’t know it? Or do, but they’re impatient? Or they get frustrated because they don’t want to fix their problem on their own and expect the product to be totally idiot-proof?

      As an IT professional for several decades, I can attest this is the problem like 80% of the time.

  • gen/Eric Computers
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    5 months ago

    I hate when websites have “Apple” as their only third party login option. CloudFlare does this too.

    Is it really that hard to add Google or others as well? Heck just use like Auth0 and you can add whatever logins you want without having to do much.

  • Luci@lemmy.ca
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    5 months ago

    Are you sure the person sharing the file didn’t turn on a requirement for only logged in accounts?

  • AndrewZabar@lemmy.world
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    5 months ago

    I just tested this and it works fine. I displayed in a browser window that had no authentication to the account and it merely offered me to get the app or continue with browser. No problem at all, had the file a moment later.

    This is user error somewhere in the process.

    P.S. free account used. P.P.S. Tested on iPhone share link from Dropbox app to clipboard, paste into two browsers: Aloha and Firefox. On both I got the standard cookie notice - which I DECLINED and it wasn’t a problem. Then the screen offered get the app or continue in browser. Chose browser and my file came up. No problem whatsoever.

    OP refused to take advice and troubleshoot, instead just rants with baseless accusation. This is not a behavior I haven’t seen countless times already.

          • AndrewZabar@lemmy.world
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            5 months ago

            That’s not how software works, dude. Programs are a series of precise instructions, and a computer will always follow what the instructions say, exactly, unless something interferes.

            There’s no luck involved, ever. Luck is also an imaginary construct.

            It could be a variety of causes on your end, and I saw many people make suggestions to you as to identifying and resolving the problem, but you refused all of them.

            You want to hate Dropbox and you want others to join you. I do not know the reason, but this is the only conclusion available based upon your behavior.

            We are here if you are willing to troubleshoot to achieve the results you desire.