Scrivener iOS syncing via Dropbox continues to crash the app

[JimRac]

I’m using an iPad pro 2018. Latest software everywhere. Really need to get these projects back to the cloud so I can edit them on desktop.

Thanks.

You could always use the Share function from the IOS Scriv projects screen to email the project over to your desktop.

[jwdenzel]

You could always use the Share function from the IOS Scriv projects screen to email the project over to your desktop.

Perfect. Thank you for this suggestion. Good temporary workaround.

[GrahamGrün]

"One of the biggest issues in iOS 13.2 is RAM management problem that is causing applications to be killed when running in the background. Early tests indicate that iOS 13.3 does solve this problem, at least to a certain degree."
Apple releasing first public beta of iOS 13.3 today - 9to5Mac :https://www.google.de/amp/s/9to5mac.com/2019/11/06/apple-releasing-first-public-beta-of-ios-13-3-today/amp/

Maybe this will help us?

[sidderke]

Apple just released 13.2.2 that should also fix the RAM issue. Not sure if this helps the Scrivener issue. I decided to now switch completely to my iCloud workaround and reconsider if there is a solution for Scrivener iOS, although I’ve been happy with my solution now.

[Thomas Rabenstein]

Apple just released 13.2.2 that should also fix the RAM issue. Not sure if this helps the Scrivener issue.

I have just installed the update and unfortunately, it does not fix the issue. Scrivener is still not syncing my projects and is crashing (closing).

[AmberV]

That would have been nice! But I didn’t have my fingers crossed when I read it only fixed things running in the background. We’re most definitely in the foreground when this happens. It does however make me slightly hopeful that they are aware of RAM issues in general, and this is only fixing the first half of the problem.

[sidderke]

... and this is only fixing the first half of the problem.

I don’t want to sound rude, but do we know for sure this is half of the problem? And do we already know where the other half of the problem lies?

[AmberV]

No, I'm only speculating, hence hopeful in the sense that they've identified RAM issues under some conditions and that those conditions sound a lot like what we're seeing evidence of (the system shutting Scrivener down for memory issues and generating a report).

[JustAnotherWriter]

If anyone can provide a sample project that singularly crashes sync, we’d certainly appreciate it.

Hey AmberV,

I submitted my 100% crashing project via Dropbox this morning. Hope you got it and hope it helps.

[AmberV]

Thanks for the head's up, I'll check the queue.

[joeofspringfield]

Me too. Tried reinstalling both scrivener and dropbox, relinking, no effect. Turned in a help request, no answer yet. I don't use the iOS version much, only for spontaneous ideas that come up when I'm away from my MacBook, but it's a functionality I do miss. One clue I can offer is that I hadn't done a sync in a long time, several months, then I updated to both Catalina on the Mac and the latest iOS on my iPhone XS. It hasn't been able to sync since then. It spins the wheel for a long time, so it's trying to do something. Then about the time the number of files synced should start counting down, it just disappears. I also note it's not really a complete crash. The app only appears to go away, but if you swipe to see all the running apps, Scrivener is still there in the background, running. So that's weird.

[Thomas Rabenstein]

I just updated to iOs 13.2.3 but syncing still doesn't work.
I am giving up on it now, looking for another process.
Fact is: It worked perfectly before iOs 13.x and now it does not.
It appears to be a lesson for me not to depend on too many different apps and services for production in the future and cancelled my dropbox subscription, for which I have no use anymore.
I'll go via iCloud and it works good for me.

[sidderke]

I'll go via iCloud and it works good for me.

Did the same. It works. Dropbox doesn’t. It’s not sync and that’s regrettable but I don’t need to install Dropbox on all my devices anymore and that’s also nice.
This issue has been happening almost over 2 months now. But I am happy with my iCloud solution now even if it’s not perfect.

A bit off-topic but I am also curious to see what is in the future for Scrivener iOS. We haven’t seen a real feature update for the software for a long while. I’m wondering if that is being worked on.

[lunk]

It must be a nightmare debugging this because to many (most?) of us sync works just as well in iOS 13 as it did before.

[Thomas Rabenstein]

It must be a nightmare debugging this because to many (most?) of us sync works just as well in iOS 13 as it did before.

Well some of my friends and I do admin a German Scrivener group at Facebook, with about 800 writers using Scrivener on Mac/Windows, many on iOs too. I hear many users complaining it doesn't work anymore.
You just brought up the idea to run a poll on that. I'll let you know the outcome.
I am sensing, strange enough, it mostly hits the people with the latest hardware and latest iOs versions.
As it is right now, the dropbox sync does not make any sense for me but I get along with the painful (manual) copy/paste via iCloud.
I know the developers don't like the idea (yet?) but it would already help, if I could run a project straight from an iCloud folder to get rid of the trouble.
Maybe an option for the next Scrivener iOs update....