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Power Apps - Building Power Apps
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Download function mobile player - "there was a problem downloading the specified content locally"

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Posted on by 12
The Powerapps function documentation states that invoking the Download function in mobile players will prompt the user for a location to save the file natively
 
I've tried on different environments across two different tenants and when I run the function suggested in test (link to a Microsoft hosted PDF) I return the same error in both Android and iOS mobile players:
"There was a problem downloading the specified content locally"
 
The function is: Download( "https://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?linkid=827480" )
The Error Kind is 17.
 
Anyone able to shed any light on whether it is possible to download a PDF via the iOS or Android mobile players (rather than launch in a separate web browser)?
 
 
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  • Mookmac_Ceox Profile Picture
    2 on at
    Download function mobile player - "there was a problem downloading the specified content locally"
    Did you ever get a resolution for this @alexjames ? I have the same problem today just testing with a simple direct URL to a PDF on a completely public website. 
  • timl Profile Picture
    34,933 Super User 2025 Season 1 on at
    Download function mobile player - "there was a problem downloading the specified content locally"
    Hi alexjames,
     
    I've tested this on 2 Android devices. I see the same problem that you report, despite allowing the storage permissions.
     
    The only thing I can suggest is to raise a support ticket. This seems to me a bug as it clearly isn't behaving in the way that's stated in the documentation. 
     
     



     
  • alexjames Profile Picture
    12 on at
    Download function mobile player - "there was a problem downloading the specified content locally"
    Hi Timl
     
    Thanks for looking
     
    I did spot the redirect and have tried to with some directly hosted links as well to no avail sadly.
     
    I'm also getting a similar issue with downloading files hosted within an attachment control on mobile devices. Where you link to a blob within attachments and clicking on an attachment in view mode downloads the file on web / browser, when in iOS / Android I get a 'Couldn't Download File' error on the control
     
    This suggest it is a file system permissions issue. I've tried this on multiple iOS and android devices so doesn't seem device specific
  • Suggested answer
    timl Profile Picture
    34,933 Super User 2025 Season 1 on at
    Download function mobile player - "there was a problem downloading the specified content locally"
    Hi alexjames,
     
    I suspect the problem is because the go.microsoft.com URL doesn't point directly to a PDF. Instead, it's a redirection to the actual URL of the PDF.
     
    The call to Download attempts to download this redirection, hence the error code 17.
     
    If specify the actual PDF URL in the call to Download, does that work on your mobile device?
     
    Download("https://compass-ssl.microsoft.com/assets/39/6f/396f3996-419c-433e-a465-25d1c7bb10b5.pdf?n=QS-Surface-Book-overview.pdf")
          
  • alexjames Profile Picture
    12 on at
    Download function mobile player - "there was a problem downloading the specified content locally"
    Hi Nandit
     
    Yes I can use launch but I don't want to be sending people out of the native application into a web browser (that could very well not be signed in to the Tenant's / Entra) unnecessarily prompting another sign in / authentication
     
    I'm looking to download directly to the file system without the need for a browser middleman
     
    Thanks!
  • Suggested answer
    Nandit Profile Picture
    1,563 Super User 2025 Season 1 on at
    Download function mobile player - "there was a problem downloading the specified content locally"
    Hi  alexjames,
     
    I have not tried this on Mobile device but the Launch function works the same way for such URLs. Can you try using Launch instead?
    Where is your PDF stored, is it a Document Library? You can try using something like this:
    Launch(ThisItem.'Link to item' & "?Download=1")
    
    Hope this helps. 
     
    Kind regards, 
    Nandit
     
    If this answers your query, please mark this response as the answer.
    If its helpful, please leave a like. Thanks!

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