iPad and Dropbox

Software
1

Dear MPUers,

I got a surprise gift for Christmas: a 12.9 iPad Pro with 512GB storage. This replaces my old 9.7 Pro with 64GB. An embarrassment of riches, and I’m loving it, except …

With all that storage I want all my Dropbox files immediately available. But I cannot seem to figure out how to make that a default. Even when I create a file on my iPad I still have to retrieve it from the cloud.

Is there something I’m overlooking? Should I be switching to iCloud for storage? Would that solve the problem?

2

You cannot, as far as I know.

Nope. iCloud doesn’t store all the files locally either.

For better or worse, Apple assumes that you always have fast/free/unmetered Wi-Fi available when you need it.

3

If I recall correctly, Dropbox may operate the same as what I’m used to now on OneDrive. Sadly, there’s no way to mark all for local storage, but I can specify folders individually for storage on my iPad. Works flawlessly for me, however I don’t download everything, just what I think I need on the road if cell coverage isn’t present.

1 Like
4

That’s unfortunate as I work between iPad (most of my production), Mac (some iPadOS apps I need are far inferior to the full version on Mac), and a Windows machine for output.

5

As a slightly left-field suggestion, if you’re willing to use Git repos to store your files and privately host them in the cloud, then you can use Working Copy and clone your repos for offline use.

To host private Git repos, you can use a service like GitHub or GitLab.

I’ll admit that Git requires a learning curve, but the version control you get in return is fantastic.

1 Like
6

Hate to have to suggest another app, but that’s often how iOS is.I’d add this app to the mix https://apps.apple.com/us/app/documents-by-readdle/id364901807
And then add Dropbox and download the files from there into that app.