Enable background downloads

[dusrdev]

General Information

• MEGA Version: 5.14.1

• iOS Version(s): iPadOS 14.6

• Devices/Simulators: iPad Pro 2021

• Reproducible? (Yes/No): Yes

What happened?

Mega only downloads files to the device while the app is actively in the foreground, regardless that "Background Refresh" in the settings is enabled.
Whenever I switch to another app or the screen turns off the downloads are paused, which makes it impossible to do anything other than wait on the iPad.
When downloading videos or whatever else I do, especially large size files it is very difficult and inconvenient.
Enabling background downloads is a must have, and such a basic functionality that it feels almost stupid to try to explain why we need it.

I have seen from google searches that the issue has been posted in the iOS section around 2017 and since has been closed, yet obviously 5 years later and the application is still affected by the issue.

I am a long-time premium user of Mega.nz cloud service and I encourage you to give this issue the priority it requires.

What did you expect to happen?

That the downloads will continue in the background like on all of the other platforms.

[jnavarrom]

Hi,

This will require non-trivial changes in the network layer of our application.
We would need to replace cURL with NSUrlSession( https://developer.apple.com/documentation/foundation/nsurlsession) which allows transfer data in background.

I will add a ticket to our backlog.

Thanks

[OblackatO]

Any updates on this issue so far?

[Pguy2022]

The app can launch an internal browser session… can you let users access that with access to an address bar? Then they can atleast browse while the app is still foregrounded.

[Pguy2022]

Or link to a search engine like HTTPS://www.google.com

[Sfundon97]

It is now 2023, 2 years later and the problem has not been fixed!

[deveshshakya]

Is anyone really looking at this issue? How much time will it take to resolve this?

[colby7]

Yeah, this is annoying. Downloads continue flawlessly in Android, but not on my shiny new iPad. This is so 2008 😝

[kvell36]

Please implement this feature if there is an active dev team at all for the iOS app. It’s an absurdly bad user experience to have downloads constantly interrupted.

Honestly it is insane that this isn’t the top priority, considering this is a file sharing service and the app is the only way to download files on literally the most popular device in the world.

[MartinIsla]

It’s insane that fixing this is possible and not considered a priority. I thought it was an iOS limitation. Team, making my iPad unusable while comes are being downloaded is terrible. Especially when they download at 1/10th of my max speed, which is even more annoying (but a topic for another discussion).