Apple Silicon (M1) Desktop Sync Compatibility

[_robin_]

Please can you upgrade the Dropbox app so that it works natively on Apple Silicon Macs (M1) without Rosetta.

Rosetta is not an option as it annihilates the battery.

This may be a duplicate of the below idea however that started for ARM processors in general and you haven't looked at it in 6 years so starting an Apple specific idea in the hope you see it.

https://www.dropboxforum.com/t5/Dropbox-ideas/Desktop-app-with-syncing-for-devices-with-ARM-processo...

There are also lots of comments on this thread to help support the case for demand: 

https://www.dropboxforum.com/t5/Dropbox-installs-integrations/Dropbox-Apple-Silicon-M1-install/td-p/... 

[snmorbe]

@jekratz and @jlaguna My English is not so good. But I try to understand what you are telling me.

I have version 142.4.4197. I will sent you another picture. You can see under Dutch word 'versie' = version. And you can see under Dutch word 'soort' which means: kind. You see it is telling: App (intel). 

4 different people of support Dropbox are telling me that this version is running with Rosetta. It is not the M1 version, because otherwise it would tell me not intel but M1.

Please read this conversation. The Dropbox support was making a mistake. He thought I had the M1 version, but then he is correcting this. See the red line in the text. So I don't think this version is the M1 version.

( 15:34:00 ) Visitor: You can see on the pictures which version he has on his laptop. This is the latets version. I need to know: is this the M1 version without Rosetta? I don't think so, because the information is telling met Intel.
( 15:34:37 ) Visitor: Which number will be the Stable M1 version?
( 15:35:18 ) Tony: Thank you for the screenshots. Please give me a minute as I am consulting my resources
( 15:35:25 ) Visitor: Thanks
( 15:38:53 ) Tony: Thank you for your patience. This is definitely a stable version
( 15:39:10 ) Tony: May I ask, are you currently running Rosetta on your device?
( 15:39:26 ) Visitor: How can I check this?
( 15:40:18 ) Tony: Open a new Finder window and click the "Applications" option on the left-hand side of the window.
Locate and open the "Utilities" folder.
Double-click the "Activity Monitor" application.
View the open processes on your Macbook in the "Process Name" column.
( 15:41:52 ) Visitor: I have to check this on the laptop of my husband, but he is now in a Zoom call.
( 15:42:17 ) Tony: No worries, we can continue over email at your earliest convenience 🙂
( 15:43:31 ) Visitor: With search I can find Activity Monitor. There I have to look for Rosetta. Please tell me what the next step is. Why are we doing that step?
( 15:43:42 ) Tony: To view whether Rosetta is running on your device
( 15:43:57 ) Tony: May I ask, is Rosetta listed in the open processed of your activity monitor?
( 15:45:34 ) Visitor: I will look when my husbands has finished his Zoom call. If he is running Rosetta, what is the next step? If he is not running Rosetta, what then is the next step?
( 15:47:12 ) Visitor: You tell me this is definitly stable version. Is this the stable M1 version? Or is it possible this is the stable version with Rosetta? Because the laptop is telling: intel.
( 15:47:40 ) Tony: If both Dropbox and Rosetta are running, please try closing Rosetta and see if Dropbox functions properly. If it does, then the Dropbox build is a stable one without Rosetta. If you close Rosetta and Dropbox stops running, please let me know by replying to my after chat email. If Dropbox is running but Rosetta does not appear in the Activity Monitor, then Dropbox is on a stable M1 build without Rosetta
( 15:50:54 ) Tony: Are we still connected?
( 15:51:18 ) Visitor: So, if Rosetta does not appear in the Activity Monitor and Dropbox is running, then is stable M1 build without Rosetta. If this is true: why will Apple tell that the app is intel? And if Rosetta is running, I have to close it. How will I do this? Will I get problems to start Dropbox again?
( 15:51:28 ) Visitor: It is the work laptop of my husband.
( 15:54:14 ) Tony: If both Rosetta and Dropbox are running, please try closing Rosetta. If this creates an issue with Dropbox (it shouldn't) please try quitting and re launching both Dropbox and Rosetta and see if Dropbox works normally
( 15:54:24 ) Tony: May I ask, do you have the activity monitor open?
( 15:54:52 ) Visitor: I have activity monitor open in my own laptop. Not my husband
( 15:55:35 ) Visitor: I really don't know how to relaunch Rosetta again.
( 15:55:42 ) Tony: No worries, please try that as soon as your husband is available, and let me know how this goes, so we can continue troubleshooting over email. Alternatively, you can chat back in with us and a Dropbox agent will be more than happy to assist 🙂
( 15:56:52 ) Visitor: Please tell me: Apple (see my picture) is telling it is Intel
( 15:57:02 ) Visitor: How can this be M1 version?
( 15:57:07 ) Tony: I'm really sorry for the confusion. It appears that the version you are running is a stable version that is being made compatible with Rosetta
( 15:57:25 ) Visitor: Oke. Now it is clear for me.
( 15:57:43 ) Tony: Really sorry for the incorrect steps
( 15:57:52 ) Visitor: No problem.
( 15:58:03 ) Tony: As soon as the M1 version is available, the soort should say apple (M1)
( 15:58:04 ) Visitor: Very good you tell me this.

[snmorbe]

@jekratz My husbands has Macbook Pro M1-processor. The latest version of Dropbox is from 17 february 2022 version: V142.4.4197 and the laptop is telling this is the stable version: Intel. The activity monitor and the systeem (about Mac, system overview, apps) are telling me it is Intel. I know your are processing the new version for Apple Silicon M1 version. Now I am thinking: the latest update is still an Intel version. Is it possible when I delete the Dropbox app and then install the Dropbox app again, that I get the Apple Silicon version?

[jlaguna]

@jekratz Right, I had signed up for early releases so got a beta of the Apple Silicon classic version a couple months ago. Dropbox automatically downgraded me to an Intel build of the FileProvider beta; maybe because I was kvetching so much about all the problems with the Apple Silicon version...?. I have to say it's running just fine, though; not at all resource intensive.

[jlaguna]

@snmorbe Dropbox is doing an incremental rollout for the stable build of the Apple Silicon version of the classic app; there is no telling exactly when you'll get it, but they announced the rollout a couple weeks ago, so your number should come up soon. My advice though: unless you are experiencing serious problems with the Intel version (high CPU or RAM usage) just let the update happen when it happens; you probably won't see much change in performance so it's just not worth wasting time and energy on.

[snmorbe]

@jlaguna thanks a lot for your answer. Helpful for me, because I get stress of it. Because it looks like we got an update 142.4.4197 but we get automatically the intel version and not the universal version.

I really don't understand that two weeks ago there is an update rolling out under version nummer: 142.4.4197. On this page: https://www.dropboxforum.com/t5/Dropbox-desktop-client-builds/Stable-Build-142-4-4197/m-p/578530/hig...

Question 1:

I can read there is an universal version. I thinks this is the native Apple Silicion / M1 version, but perhaps I am wrong. Question: is this the universal without Rosetta version I have to get for our M1 Macbook Pro?

Question 2:

But this number also have an intel version. So, why did we automatically get the 142.4.4197 version of Intel on our M1 lapotp? Why did we not get the M1 version, I think the universal version?

Question 3:

Did they made a mistake and not recognize we have a M1 laptop? Should we do something like delete the app and reinstall the app (and how can I do this: just throw the app away and download again: but how do I get the right version, will I do this with the link above in this post)?

Question 4:

We got two weeks ago the update 142.4.4197, but we got the intel version. Is it possible the recognize that we have a M1 Macbook, but did not give us the universal Apple M1 version. And we have to wait for another update with another version number?

The Dropbox app is working fine, but I am only worried why Dropbox is not recognize that we have M1 MacBook Pro and did not give the universal version, if this is the M1 version without Rosetta. Did something went wrong or is everything oké this way for this moment?

Thanks for the help and answers.

[Emmet · Accepted solution]

Hi all,

Native Apple silicon support is now fully available. All users with Apple silicon devices will receive the native version of Dropbox automatically. If you would like to update your device manually, you can do so by clicking on the latest Stable Build and downloading the Offline Installer (Apple Silicon) file. For more information, visit the Dropbox Help Center.

If you need assistance with anything else, please feel free to create a new thread and our community team will be happy to assist.

[snmorbe]

@Emmet when I look at Activity Monitor it still says: Intel. Not Apple. We have version 142.4.4197 at 17 february 2022. So we did not get automatically the native Apple Version. What can we do?

[jlaguna]

@Emmet Why did you delete my detailed reply to @snmorbe? There was nothing objectionable or non-factual in it. And I've gone out of my way to emphasize that the app seems to be working quite well now after a very shaky rollout.

[snmorbe]

@jlaguna I did not see your post. I am sorry, because it looks like your are helping me.

[jlaguna]

I was, but it looks like it didn’t meet the standards of Community scolds like Emmet. Apparently we’re not supposed to mention that Dropbox’s initial Apple Silicon beta was crap. I should think they would take some pride in the fact that they’ve been able to fix it pretty quickly.