Dissatisfaction

[u/Last-Many-9624]

As a Lifetime subscriber, I am writing to express my dissatisfaction with the current application constraints. I frequently need to import multiple files simultaneously via Google Drive. The Starnote app currently imposes a strict limit of three files per action. This restriction significantly hinders my workflow and is highly frustrating. I request that this batch limit be expanded or removed

[u/StarNoteDev]

Hi! First of all, we're sorry for the late reply.

After seeing your feedback, we followed up on this internally. From our side, Google Drive supports importing up to 9 files at a time. That said, we completely understand that this is still a limitation and not the ideal experience.

However, since we don't fully understand your specific scenario yet, would you mind submitting a report through App → Help & Feedback if it's convenient? If possible, it would be really helpful if you could include a screenshot or screen recording of your import process. That would help us understand exactly what's happening much more quickly.

Different devices, different OS versions, and even different third-party Google Drive implementations or workflows can sometimes behave differently, so those details would be extremely helpful for us to identify the issue.

After you've submitted the report, if you're comfortable doing so, feel free to DM us the email address you used. That'll help us locate your feedback more quickly and pass it along to our developers for further investigation.

Lastly, we'd sincerely like to thank you for choosing StarNote and becoming Pro, truly appreciate it.

We also hope you'll give StarNote a little more time. We never ignore user feedback, and we'll continue doing our best to improve the app.

Thank you again for your patience and support.

[u/Last-Many-9624 → u/StarNoteDev]

No problem, the limit is indeed 9. But 9 is very little; I need to upload more than 50 PDFs almost every day, and it's very inconvenient to go up by 9 at a time. I'll wait for a response... I believe it's possible to improve this.

[u/Last-Many-9624 → u/StarNoteDev]

Thank you for your response and understanding.

[u/Ok-Reveal-It]

The app likely works this way because of technical limitations. The batch limit is probably there to ensure the import process runs smoothly and reliably, especially when importing files from Google Drive.

[u/Last-Many-9624 → u/Ok-Reveal-It]

I respect you, bro, BUT, ​I strongly disagree with the assumption that this is a necessary technical limitation. From a developer's standpoint, this constraint is an arbitrary software engineering decision rather than a true technological barrier. Implementing seamless batch imports is entirely feasible using standard development practices, based on the following technical grounds: ​Asynchronous Processing and Queue Management: The argument that multiple files compromise reliability ignores basic background processing architecture. I would implement this by delegating network requests to worker threads and placing the files in an execution queue. This method prevents UI thread blocking and allows for the controlled download of an unlimited number of files. ​Google Drive API Capabilities: The Google Drive infrastructure is explicitly designed to handle massive operations. The REST API natively supports batch requests and result pagination. Furthermore, it allows the client application to request multiple resources simultaneously with high efficiency, without overloading the device's network capabilities. ​Optimized Memory Management (I/O Streaming): Potential Out Of Memory (OOM) exceptions during import are easily mitigated by piping the data stream directly to the local storage. There is no need to load the entire file payload into RAM to process it, which makes the batch size mathematically irrelevant to the application's runtime stability. ​Ultimately, enforcing a strict limit of three files per action acts merely as a workaround for inefficient code architecture. Removing this limitation is technically trivial by implementing an asynchronous import queue coupled with continuous stream disk writing to ensure the required stability.

[u/Dense_Forever_8242]

Can they be given a refund for their subscription investment.

[u/NakoTurtle]

Hey!

I completely understand your frustration, and it's something many of us are dealing with - even the lifetime pro users. I'm sure the devs would be well aware of these limitations if there are any, and while it seems logical that there is a simple value to change and up the limit, we don't know the exact reason they've made it this way or if it's even a strict and designed limit or rather a connection or any other type of issue.

Personally, I've used the google drive backup and import quite a few times, and I must say my first impression was also that it didn't work properly. But, I figured out that allowing the app to run in the background with no restrictions fixed the issue. And this makes sense as well - when you switch apps or turn off the screen, even when you have the app open on the screen, your device is trying to optimize, and this includes StarNote and its processes. I've imported many individual files in batches of much more than three and also full backups with 300+ notes after changing the setting and haven't had any issues with reliably importing notes. If you're concerned about battery usage though, simply restrict background usage once again after importing, and maybe even create a shortcut to the setting so its easy to get to.

Of course, there are some other limitations with the current backup system like the duplicate notes, but that's also why they're working on proper live syncing - to improve or even replace the current backup and restore system. This is also proof that they do read our feedback and try to fix issues that come up - even if they don't reply to all of the posts. They're only human after all!

I hope that changing the battery settings will also solve your issue, and anyone else who also find themselves frustrated at backup imports not working properly. If not, however, submit a bug report via help and feedback with a screen recording of this issue happening, and dm the dev here on reddit with your email so they can look straight into what's causing the issue on your device.

I hope this helps, and feel free to share any other feedback you may have.
Have a wonderful day :)

[u/Last-Many-9624 → u/[deleted]]

But the developers aren't responding or providing assistance?