VPN Creating iOS Sync Issues?

Scrivener Scrivener for iOS
,
1

Has anyone seen this (potential) issue?

After not syncing Scrivener projects on my iPad Pro for over six months, I reinstalled Dropbox on the iPad (having removed it to keep within the free 3 device limit when activating a new system).

After linking to the Scrivener folder on Dropbox I initiated a sync to bring the projects on the iPad up to date (eighteen of them).

Over five attempts I noticed the sync kept hanging with a specific number of files left to sync.

Before I took what I decided would be the logical step of syncing the remaining projects one at a time to locate the offending project I did a quick system check for any obvious issues.

The only thing I noticed was NordVPN had kindly switched itself to Connect on Demand. I had turned it on two days ago while in hospital and using their free WiFi and turned it off when leaving the hospital earlier today though missed that it immediately restarted.

Short story, I couldn’t get the VPN to stay off so restarted the device and again turned off Connect On Demand. This time it stayed off.

Just for the hell of it, I tried a sync again and this time it completed without issue.

I can’t think of a solid reason why going through a VPN would cause the issue that seems would have related to a specific project given the multiple hangs at the same number of files left to sync. (Or was it just the act of restarting the device?)

2

or maybe Dropbox noticed you changing IP addresses (if not continents) so quickly and dropped you as a security issue.

3

Seems unlikely as over half the projects did sync prior to the ‘hang’ and then continued to stop at the same number of files left to sync.

No change of continent involved.

1 Like
4

The VPN would have given you a new IP address, though.

5

do other folders in Dropbox sync?

6

Obviously.

Yes, everything else syncs.

7

So, are the Scrivener folders in every Dropbox location (Dropbox server, iPad Pro, any macs, iPhone, or wherever) all the same files (by time stamp I guess the quickest way to determine).

8

They were the same on Macs/Dropbox but not iPad Pro. Per above, iPad Pro synced once VPN was turned off, so all sorted.

My post was an observation, I had already rectified the issue.

9

Well one thing I see in your initial report is that the test of sync happened after changing two conditions:

  • VPN off
  • Rebooting the device

I’d more suspect the latter than the former (likely some Dropbox cache error that got flushed on reboot). The sort of issue we’d see with a VPN is typically more a broad denial of service, particularly if you’re using a free/economic tier, as those servers tend to be used more for spam and such, and can periodically get blacklisted by some providers.

After not syncing Scrivener projects on my iPad Pro for over six months, I reinstalled Dropbox on the iPad (having removed it to keep within the free 3 device limit when activating a new system).

By the way, you may know this already, but it’s not necessary to install Dropbox and use up one of your devices just to sync Scrivener. It uses the API directly, and doesn’t count as a device last I heard.

10

Yes, I am aware of that. I installed it because I wanted to make use of the app features for file management unrelated to Scrivener. I use Nord VPN.