Files "pending" and "saving"

[dpauldalton]

I just opened Acrobat Reader on Android and noticed I have in my file list several files that I'm guessing are "stuck". 

On the list, at least 15 files show to be "pending" and one (over a week old) appears to be stuck as "saving".  

What's happening?  Is there a way I can "nudge" these to finish their processes or is my only choice to completely delete them?  

Thanks

[Amal.]

Hi @dpauldalton

Hope you are doing well and thanks for reaching out.

Thank you for reaching out and sharing your experience. It sounds like some of your files are indeed stuck in the process of saving or syncing. This can happen occasionally due to connectivity issues or interruptions while the app is trying to save or sync files.

Here are a few steps you can try to resolve the issue:

1. Manually attempt to save/sync: Try opening one of the files showing as "pending" or "saving" and see if manually interacting with the file (e.g., editing or re-saving it) triggers the app to complete the process.

2. Clear cache: You can try clearing the app’s cache (found under your device’s settings in the app info) to free up any potential stuck processes. Note that this won’t delete your data but can help the app work smoothly.

3. Restart the app/device: A simple restart of the app or your device might help clear any stuck processes.

If none of these options work and the files remain stuck, you might need to delete them and re-save or sync them manually. However, please ensure that you have backed up any important files before deleting them.

~Amal

[dpauldalton]

Amal - Thanks for the suggestions.  Before I saw your note, I checked the Play Store, saw an update, & installed it.  But that didn't help.  As to your suggestions:  

1.  None of the "pending" files or the "saving" file will open. 

2.  I couldn't find a "clear cache" option (I only found a "clear suggestions" option.  I did that, but it didn't make any difference.) 

3.  I tried both restarting the app & restarting the phone.  Neither helped.  I didn't yet try deleting any of these, as I don't know if that means they'll be completely lost or if there are actually saved copies somewhere, as I don't know where I look for those.  Most - if not all - are what we're intended to be new pdfs that I think didn't get finished being created.  

Also, I now realize this has been affecting how the App functions in general.  I made a couple of screenshots of the file list, then tried to create a new pdf of those.  It now also is "stuck" as "pending"., so I've just attached those 2  screenshots here for you to see.  

 

 

list

[Amal.]

Hi @dpauldalton

Thank you for reaching out! To help resolve the issue, please try clearing the app’s cache by following these steps:

1. Open your device’s Settings.
2. Navigate to Apps (or App Management).
3. Scroll down and tap on Acrobat.
4. Select Storage.
5. Tap on Clear Cache.

Once you've done this, please reboot your device and try launching the app again.

Let us know if this helps

~Amal

[dpauldalton]

Amal - Thanks for sticking with me on this & clarifying how to find the place for clearing the cache. I found it, saw it has ~17 GB of data, & clicked on "Clear Cache". It didn't go to "0", but it did reduce to only ~8 kB. After restarting my phone, I opened Acrobat Reader and, to my disappointment, nothing had changed on the displayed file list. All the same "pending" files were there along with the one "saving" file.  

Please let me know if there are any other "fixes" I can try or if deleting all of these is my only   

Additionally, I'm guessing that just having these “stuck” files in the list somehow interferes (perhaps intermittently?) with Acrobat creating new pdf files. 

For example (and from different file managers on my phone), I've selected files, then used “Open with” & clicked on “Adobe Acrobat” intending to create a new pdf file.   

For Word (.docx) files, I see a message “Creating pdf. We'll let you know when your file is ready.” When that message goes away, I DON'T get a message that the file is ready. Instead, I am taken to Acrobat's file list where that file now shows as “pending”. It stays that way. This seems to be consistent, regardless of which File Manager I start from.

For image files, it's not so consistent. Sometimes it works as expected, but sometimes that file ends up on the list as “pending”.  

This whole experience made me think of a suggestion for the development team: Currently, clicking on any of these files (“pending” or “saving”) in Acrobat's file list does nothing and, to the right of each, there is only an "X" (which I assume just deletes it).  

So, for files that get "stuck" like this, I believe it would be really helpful to include an option to "Back Up" (or "Revert to Previous") that would "step back" into displaying the previous view of that file to then allow the user to either retry or at least be able to retrieve the previous content so it's not completely lost.  

Particularly for "stuck" files that were supposed to be new pdfs created from screenshots or photos that originally had been assigned random names (e.g., "1000014395"), it's essentially impossible to easily relocate that "starter file" to try again. So - when a file gets "stuck" - just having a way to "back up" and least "see it" again would be a lot of help.  

At the VERY LEAST, please add the ability to see the full path for ALL files (including “pending” and “saving”) in Acrobat's file list. It's a missing vital feature that would be SO EASY for Adobe to provide, yet - for reasons I've never understood - Adobe has seemed to doggedly resist implementing. It would be such a tremendous help to users for many reasons, not the least of which would be in relocating the beginning file when a new pdf creation gets stuck as “pending” or “saving”.  

Thanks,

Paul  

[dpauldalton]

Amal - Just checking back.  Any new thoughts/suggestions on this problem?  I didn't want to just "X" all these "stuck" files from the Recent files list until I know there's nothing else to try.  

FWIW, today I see more "pending" files on that list, but no "saving" files at all.  Previously, 1 or 2 files had stayed on the list as "saving" for many, many days.  I hadn't recorded their specific names, so I don't know whether either of those finally completed "saving" - so no longer are in that "state", or if they each just "timed out" and was either completely dropped off of the Recent Files list or perhaps was converted to a "pending" file - but still stuck in Recent Files.  

Thoughts? Advice?  

Thanks.

[dpauldalton]

Amal – My biggest concern about just deleting “stuck” files from the Recent Files list is that – once I delete that file from the list – I won't be able to get back to its precursor(s) to retry the process by copying the precursor file(s) to cloud storage, then retrieving them using Acrobat on my PC.  

So, since my earlier post today,  I've been trying to get a better understanding of how the "Recent Files" list works in Android Reader.  Unfortunately, I now believe that, once a file is “stuck” in the Recent Files list, Adobe provides no tools to help a user identify the location of a predecessor of that “stuck file” to facilitate “starting over”.

Hoping it might help, I took screenshots today of the 1st four pages of my "Recent Files" list (shows all “stuck” files and a few more), then I combined those (using Acrobat on my PC) into a single pdf file.  I've attached it here  [To be sure I got everything, the last file identified in each screenshot is repeated at the top of the next page's screenshot, causing some files to seem to appear twice on the list].  

 Using that PDF as a reference for the “stuck” files’ names, I scrolled farther into Reader’s Recent Files list trying to identify precursor(s) of each “stuck” file.  

I did see a few, but far from all.  Disappointing.

However, even when I DID find an identical file name, it didn’t help as I’d hoped it would.  

It’s because Adobe’s “file management” system doesn’t disclose any information about “where” a particular file is located.  

In the Recent Files list, when I did find the name of a precursor file, I clicked on the “3 dot menu” for it, expecting to see a menu option to reveal the full path to that file on my phone, as is done by every other file lists on my phone (via menu choices like “Properties”, “Details”,  “Path”, etc.).  

WHY does Adobe NOT provide the ability to see this important information about the files shown on its lists?  

Providing a way for users to see this important information seems ubiquitous everywhere else, so I’m sure that NOT including this capability for Adobe’s file lists was a deliberate decision.  

But what I can’t figure out is WHY Adobe would want to make it so difficult for users to learn “where” on the device any particular file is actually stored?  

Any knowledge you can share about this?  

[Amal.]

Hi there

I hope this message finds you well! Apologies for the delay in getting back to you, and thank you for your patience.

To assist you with the issue you're facing, I have a few steps that may help resolve it:

1. Check VPN Connection:
   If you're currently connected to a VPN, please try turning it off temporarily and check if that resolves the issue. VPNs can sometimes interfere with network connectivity for cloud-based services.

2. Manage Cloud Storage Accounts:
   Let's reset the cloud storage connections within the app:

   • Open the app and navigate to the ‘Files’ section.
   • From there, remove all linked cloud storage accounts such as Google Drive, OneDrive, etc.
   • Afterward, log out of the app completely.

3. Reboot Your Device:
   Once you've logged out, please restart your device. This helps clear any temporary issues that may be affecting the app.

4. Relogin and Reconnect:
   After rebooting, log back into the app and re-add your cloud storage accounts under the ‘Files’ section. This fresh reconnection might solve the issue.

Please try these steps, and let me know if the issue persists.

~Amal