What are the differences between iCloud, Dropbox and local storage?

Writer supports iCloud and Dropbox for syncing and storing documents. You can also save directly to your device. Each option works a little differently, so we’ll describe each in turn.

Writer for iOS (iPad and iPhone)

By tapping on the File Drawer icon then on “Back”, you can access the Storage List, which contains:

• Device storage (either “iPad” or “iPhone”)
• iCloud
• Dropbox

Device storage

Documents are saved to your device’s internal storage. They don’t sync, but can be backed up when syncing your device with iTunes.

iCloud

Documents are stored on your iPad or iPhone and sync with iCloud. Syncing happens automatically (and frequently) when there’s access to a network, and documents/changes will then automatically sync to Writer on any other devices using the same iCloud account. We recommend using iCloud for syncing documents, and Writer will use iCloud by default if you use iCloud on your device.

Dropbox

To comply with recent changes in the Dropbox API, Writer now directly reads from and writes to the Dropbox servers. While the document will save occasionally, there is also a Save icon for saving to Dropbox. Documents are not stored locally, and this can lead to complications if your device goes offline. Because of this we recommend you use iCloud for syncing instead. You can set up Dropbox by tapping the “Link Dropbox” button in the Storage List panel.

Mobile & Offline Use

iCloud and Dropbox work differently when offline:

Using iCloud Offline

If your device can not connect to iCloud, all changes are stored locally and synced the next time you have a connection. If you edited the same document in iCloud from two different devices, iCloud will determine which one is newer, or will ask you to choose.

Using Dropbox Offline

If you want to edit a document from Dropbox offline, please copy or move it to iCloud or the device’s local storage (“iPad” or “iPhone” in the Storage List) while you still have access to the internet (read on for instructions).

If your connection drops while editing or saving a document on Dropbox, the document is copied to the device’s local storage automatically to avoid data loss. You can then move it back to Dropbox later.

This sounds cumbersome. Can you improve it please?

We agree that currently Writer’s Dropbox support is not ideal. We’re working hard with Dropbox to improve this in the future, while complying with their API guidelines. In the meantime, if you need auto syncing and offline access, please consider using iCloud.

Moving a document on your iPad or iPhone (e.g. to iCloud)

You can move a document by:

1. Tap the File Drawer icon (left of the Menu bar when viewing a document)
2. Locate the document, then tap the “Edit” button
3. Tap the blue arrow beside the document you wish to move
4. Tap “Move” on the document’s Info panel. This will let you choose where to move the document.

Currently if you have enabled iCloud, any new documents created using the Plus icon will automatically be saved in iCloud.

Moving a document to iCloud with Writer for Mac

You can move any document saved on your Mac to iCloud by opening it in Writer for Mac, then choosing: File > iCloud… > Move to iCloud. If “Move to iCloud” is grayed out, save the document on your Mac first.

What about the Writer folder in Dropbox after upgrading to Writer v1.4?

If you upgraded from a pre-1.4 version of Writer for iPad, the documents in “iPad” in the Storage List are copies of documents in the Writer folder of Dropbox. We left the Writer folder in Dropbox to prevent data loss. If you did not sync before upgrading Writer, the documents in “iPad” are the most current ones.

Problems syncing?

Please refer to our knowledge base article “iCloud won’t work. What’s wrong?”. If this doesn’t address your problem, please contact us on support.iawriter.com, and we’ll do our best to help.

Conclusion

We are already working hard to improve Dropbox and iCloud support, and to make moving multiple documents to iCloud easier. Apple is also fixing bugs in iCloud, and is expected to add new functionality in future operating system releases.