I’m developing an iOS application where users can access their Google Drive and download their text files. Currently, I’m using the drive.file scope to integrate Google Drive. However, I’m facing an issue: when users access Google Drive through the app, they only see an empty folder instead of their actual files.
I’ve been in contact with Google support regarding this issue. They suggested that the drive.file scope should be sufficient for allowing users to view and download their files without needing the Google Picker API. According to them, it’s possible to display and access files with the drive.file scope as long as the app implements it correctly.
This raises my main question:
Is it true that users can view and download their own files in the app using only the drive.file scope without relying on the Google Picker API? Or is it still necessary to use the Google Picker API for users to display and download their files in this context? Additionally, Google has advised against using the drive.readonly scope since it’s a restricted scope that requires a lengthy verification process, including a detailed security assessment. Given these constraints, I’d prefer to avoid the drive.readonly scope unless absolutely necessary.
Any clarification or guidance on this matter would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance!
https://www.googleapis.com/auth/drive.file Create new Drive files, or modify existing files, that you open with an app or that the user shares with an app while using the Google Picker API or the app's file picker.
The drive.file scope only gives you access to files that your application has created with your app or have opened with your app.
So your IOS app hasnt created any of these files its not going to see them unless its opened with Google Picker api though your app.