Android not downloading/recognizing Dropbox photo files

[Surge 92]

This wasn't an issue until a couple days ago, which coincides with the latest automatic system update on my Note 9, Android 10. Now when I try to download my high-res photo files from Dropbox, an empty "shell" JPG file gets downloaded that cannot be read and doesn't show up in my gallery downloads folder the way it used to prior to the update. I've made sure all the appropriate permissions are turned on, but nothing seems to work. Anyone have any suggestions? By the way, the problem is only with my high-res Dropbox JPG files. Any other pic on the web that I press on and download gets saved fine.

 

[B. Diddy]

Are you downloading from the Dropbox website using the browser, or the Dropbox app?

 

[Surge 92]

I'm downloading from the website on Chrome.

 

[mustang7757]

Try from the app

 

[Surge 92]

Okay. I tried using the app version, which I never do, and there's no option to download the JPG file (see screenshot), the way there is with the web version. The closest thing was the export option. I tried exporting the photo to my device and my secure folder, and neither worked.

 

[mustang7757]

Can you download to internal storage then secure folder ?

 

[B. Diddy]

What options do you get if you select "Open with"?

 

[Surge 92]

When I selected "Open with", it gave me the option of opening the photo with the gallery or Google Photos, I think.

I'm attaching a sequence of screenshots that hopefully illustrates my problem. Although I can technically download the JPG file on the browser version of Dropbox, once it's downloaded, I can't open it, and of course, it doesn't appear in the gallery, like it would prior to the update. The file shows on My Files as recently downloaded, but as you can see, when I try to open it, I'm told I have no apps that can open the file, even though it's a plain JPG file. You'll also notice that on the recent files listings, the downloaded file size shows as 0 B. That's what I was referring to when I said the download was an empty shell file.

 

[B. Diddy]

What happens if you use your file manager app to navigate to the directory where those files were downloaded to and open it there?

 

[Surge 92]

I downloaded a new file manager app. After doing some digging, the full-size downloaded Dropbox pics from today DO show as being on my downloads folder, according to that app. I copied and pasted one of the photo files to another album in my gallery, and it shows just fine now. The mystery is why they're not showing automatically on my downloads album in the gallery the way they used to, and why I can't seemingly open them any other way.

 

[Surge 92]

Update: I tried to move that photo file from the album I pasted it to over to the downloads album in the gallery, and I got a prompt that that file was already in my downloads album, even though I can't see it, and it doesn't register in the album. I selected the option to replace that "invisible" file, and now the photo is finally in my downloads album. So the next mystery is why are the newly downloaded photos from Dropbox seemingly invisible in my downloads gallery album.

 

[B. Diddy]

Can you clarify -- when you say "downloads folder," do you mean the directory that's called /Download, or is it just a Downloads category in the file manager app? Some file managers group together a number of download directories into one category.

 

[Surge 92]

I meant the Download directory.

 

[Surge 92]

This is a little off-topic, but I also noticed that the words "today" and "tomorrow" on my text messages are now underlined and apparently linked to my calendar, since the update. That's annoying to me. Anyone know how to get rid of that?

 

[B. Diddy]

Is there a file called .nomedia in the /Download directory? If so delete it, then check your Gallery again.

The hyperlinked date word issue has been for a while now, and I haven't found a viable way of turning that off.

 

[Surge 92]

There weren't any .nomedia files in the Download directory that I could see.

 

[mustang7757]

This is a little off-topic, but I also noticed that the words "today" and "tomorrow" on my text messages are now underlined and apparently linked to my calendar, since the update. That's annoying to me. Anyone know how to get rid of that?

I dont think you can .

 

[B. Diddy]

Try clearing the cache and data for the Gallery app in the Settings>Apps menu, then open Gallery again and wait a few seconds for the database to rebuild. Does the same problem persist?

 

[Surge 92]

Try clearing the cache and data for the Gallery app in the Settings>Apps menu, then open Gallery again and wait a few seconds for the database to rebuild. Does the same problem persist?

I cleared the cache, and the problem persisted. It said that clearing the data would delete all my gallery photos, though, so I didn't do that.

 

[B. Diddy]

Clearing the Gallery app data won't delete your actual photo files -- it'll just clear the Gallery database, which gets rebuilt the next time you open the Gallery.