Authentication Required–To view the Items in this Folder, you need to authenticate...

Question

Authentication Required–To view the Items in this Folder, you need to authenticate...

In the Files app, I have set up my Google Drive app and my iAnnotate app as locations that Files can access for document use/editing/etc. Now when I try to access the files in these locations, I receive that says, “Authentication Required. To view the items in this folder, you need to authenticate in the Google Drive app.” There is a link to open the Google Drive app. Selecting the link opens the app, which has already been authenticated. When I switch back to the Files app, the same thing happens again. This also happens in the iAnnotate app, which is not even a secure app. It does not have an authentication mechanism.

What’s the problem here? Screen shots of the “authentication required” messages are attached.

iPad Pro, iPadOS 13

Posted on Sep 3, 2020 6:44 AM

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Answer 1

Best reply

Pvenki2011

Level 1

16 points

Nov 2, 2020 8:00 AM in response to usarmytrooper

In your google drive app, you activated the privacy screen (Face ID). Just off the privacy screen (Face ID). So you can see the google drive folder & files in your iPhone file app.

open google drive app in your iPhone
go to google drive settings.
select “privacy screen”
Off “privacy screen”

Thank you.

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Answer 2

Nov 15, 2020 1:13 AM in response to usarmytrooper

I have disabled the screen privacy options and even then I am getting the same prompt for Authentication. This is bizzare

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Answer 3

Sep 5, 2020 12:21 PM in response to usarmytrooper

Check if you have privacy screen enabled in Google Drive (Google Drive > Settings > Privacy Screen). I also got the authentication required screen in Files even when I was signed into Google Drive until I turned off this option.

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Answer 4

Sep 3, 2020 5:17 PM in response to LotusPilot

Right. As I mentioned in my original post, I’ve set up the Google Drive app, so it is installed, and my user name/password are already saved. That’s the problem...re-opening the Google Drive app to “authenticate” does nothing. It also doesn’t explain why I’m getting the same message for iAnnotate, which does not lock or require any kind of authentication at all.

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Answer 5

Sep 3, 2020 9:59 AM in response to usarmytrooper

Assuming that the Google Drive App is already installed on your iPad - it will be necessary to open the Google Drive App (at least once) to configure and save your Google credentials. Unless your Google Account credentials have already been set-up, you will need to provide them here.

The Google Drive App provides the link for the native Files App to access Google Drive storage. Other third-party Cloud storage providers will use an App to provide a similar link for the native Files App.

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Answer 6

ChrisRH

Level 1

25 points

Oct 24, 2020 1:36 PM in response to usarmytrooper

yes - this resolved it for me too (turning off Privacy Screen). I vaguely remember accidentally enabling it when I set up my new phone yesterday - shutting it off allowed the Files app to access Drive once again!

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