Dropbox for macOS - compatibility with mixed OS versions

[Blackthorne]

Just received the "Update to Dropbox for macOS" message. On reading other messages here I see that while my desktop machine can run Dropbox for macOS because it uses OS 12.6.2, my older laptop can only be updated as far as OS 12.3.1 which is under the 12.5 cutoff.

Should I install Dropbox for macOS on my desktop anyway because the two versions play nice or should I leave the old version everywhere on the "if it ain't broke don't fix it" principle?

[Megan]

Hey there, @Blackthorne, thanks for posting here! 

You can definitely use the new update with your desktop machine. This is an update to ensure that Dropbox continues working seamlessly on your device, so I would suggest that you follow through with it. 

It's always best to have both your OS and Dropbox app up-to-date, even if they're using different OS versions and one is a bit older. However, it's all up to you. 

I hope this clarifies. 

[Blackthorne]

Thank you. I'm sure it works great on my desktop machine but the question is: are the two systems now evolving separately? I don't have the choice to update the OS on the laptop so it won't be able to run the Dropbox for macOS. If the new system evolves away from the old to the point at which they are no longer compatible I should keep the old version on all devices.

It's not always a good idea to have the latest versions of apps and operating systems: sometimes you can orphan software that you have a large investment in for the sake of small changes that the latest (free) OS update brings.

[Nancy · Accepted solution]

Hi @Blackthorne! I hope you’re doing well. 

Even in the case where the older device can’t have the new Dropbox update for Mac, it should still be able to sync your files as it used to and you can update it to newer Dropbox app versions, like before.

[Blackthorne]

Thank you Nancy. I take your reply to mean that Dropbox is unlikely to orphan the Dropbox app by evolving the Dropbox for macOS app so far forwards as to render them incompatible any time in the near future. This implies that, for the time being at least, the Dropbox app will continue to evolve alongside the ..for macOS version.