Dropbox for iOS finally updated to include automatic camera uploads
Dropbox is one of my favorite apps; there are just so many cool things you can do with it. When I first started using it a few years ago, I didn’t understand it’s full potential, but quickly learned all that it could do. I then started sharing what I found with all my friends, so much so that I now have over 20GB of space, and I only have a free account that started at 2GB. A few months ago, Dropbox added a new feature to their Android and computer apps, and that was automatic camera uploads. It was a pretty great feature, and very simple to use. You simply turned on auto-uploading in the app, and any picture you took with your Android phone or tablet would be uploaded to your Dropbox without you having to do anything at all.
My wife thinks this is the greatest feature ever. She loves taking pictures, and she mostly uses her HTC EVO 4G to do it. Of course, those pictures need to go right onto Facebook as soon as we walk in the door. Since I turned on the auto-upload feature in her Dropbox, I never have to worry about her trying to find the cable for her phone – she doesn’t even have to bother hooking her phone up to the computer anymore. She just turns it on, opens up her browser, opens her Dropbox to her Camera Uploads folder, and starts uploading the ones she wants to Facebook. It’s that easy, plus all her pictures are backed up to her Dropbox account if she ever has an issue with her phone.
Now, four and a half months later, Dropbox finally added the same support for iOS. If you have Dropbox installed on your iPhone or iPad, make sure you update the app. Then, once it’s updated, just open the app up and you will get a popup asking if you want to turn on the auto-upload feature, as well as whether or not you want to upload all the photos and videos currently on your device. Decide what you want to do, click the option, and then sit back and let Dropbox do all the work for you.
If you don’t already have the app for Android and have received the bonus, you can get up to 3GB for free just for uploading your images and videos. I did a test today hoping I could get another 3GB for free this way, but it didn’t happen. I also noticed that on the iPad, your media will only upload as long as you have the app open. If your iPad goes to sleep, or you switch to another app, it won’t continue the upload. I don’t know if this is a limitation with iOS, or if it’s just the way the app is setup; I know with my Android phone and tablets it will continue the syncing even if the app isn’t open.
If you haven’t updated your app yet, head on over to the App Store and get it syncing your pictures and videos for you.
[Dropbox blog]
