What happens if I don't update to the new Dropbox for MacOS?

[DBMcNic]

I have Dropbox on my M1 MacMini, M1 Macbook Air, old 2015 MacBook Air (all three on Monterey 12.6.3) as well as my iPad Pro and iPhone 13. On the computers, my DropBox folder is in users/{myname}/Dropbox. All files are on the two M1 devices are saved offline (one reason I went with Dropbox, access to my files when I have no internet) and there is a folder that is shared with my spouse on his Dropbox account. I have nothing saved offline on my iPad or phone, but some specific folders are saved offline due to hard drive space. I travel frequently and don't always have WiFi, thus it's critical my files are accessible to me all the time (I am a writer). I am terrified of this update and wonder what happens if I just ignore it?

[millifoo]

Hi,

We have a business account, and the Mac I use has a 10tb external drive connected to Dropbox. That data obviously can’t be moved to ~/Library/CloudStorage: there simply isn’t enough room.

Are your saying that after the update (when will that happen?) any change I make on the external drive will no longer be synced?

That’s a non starter for us. It’s the whole reason we pay for a Dropbox Business account, to keep our stuff in sync. I have to have my data both local and in the cloud and in sync.

And I don’t want stuff only in the cloud. If I did I’d be using a much cheaper cloud provider. The benefit of DropBox is the sync of ALL our data, where I need it.

I suggest you escalate this, and force Apple to change course. This change is completely ridiculous.

[Macki]

I think the problem is not with Apple.   No cloud storage company other than Dropbox that I could find is having this problem or imposing a change on their users as a result of anything Apple has done.

[JasperD]

Hi, would you be so kind to point us to the other solutions? (the one you picked specially)

[Macki]

Sure, although I have a feeling the post may get deleted by Dropbox

The one I went with is pCloud.  They get good reviews and their system seems to work as advertised.  They also offer an option for end-to-end encryption among other add-ons.

The other one I liked was Tresorit and I also looked at IDrive.  I wanted to get something in place quickly before Dropbox unilaterally upgraded their app and tried to reorganize my hard drive, which would have resulted in a catastrophic mess as there was not enough space on any of my machines.  I can't imagine trying to unravel that.

Based on a comparison over a day or so, which is less time than I would normally take for a decision like this, I concluded that pCloud was the best fit for me.  So far, it's working out well and I like it a lot.  

Dropbox has been around a long time and I expect they're working with legacy systems that that may not be easily modified whereas a lot of the alternatives are much younger companies and have had the opportunity to start from scratch and use up to date technologies and approaches.

[jwisser]

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@Macki wrote:

Dropbox has been around a long time and I expect they're working with legacy systems that that may not be easily modified whereas a lot of the alternatives are much younger companies and have had the opportunity to start from scratch and use up to date technologies and approaches.

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That's what's so weird about this, though—Apple's whole File Provider API thing hasn't been around long at all, maybe 3-4 years at most IIRC. So any changes Dropbox is making to work with it are brand new, not related to legacy systems.

It seems like what Dropbox could easily do is leave the existing app in place for those of us it works for, and then roll this new, limited File Provider API version only to people who keep some of their files online-only, since those are the only people who seem to have problems with the existing app. But instead they're throwing out the baby with the bathwater and forcing everyone over to this limited version to make their own lives easier.

[bkwagner]

Dropbox Folks:  In all the communications I've seen so far, there has been no indication of what's being "upgraded"--only things that are becoming less easy to use, irksome, and/or more complex for users.

For work I manage customer change communications for large scale, web-based IT projects.  As an avid user of Dropbox, I'm not eager for these changes and will avoid them as long as possible.  As a professional watching your change communications regarding this, you're failing.

[DBMcNic]

Macki, do either of those provide for multiple devices and both OS & iOS as well as shared folders? I have to keep files on a desktop, 2 laptops, phone & tablet and have shared folders with my husband, my son, & our accountant. I hate this change...I will avoid it as long as possible and need to warn hubby to not upgrade his account, too.

[slkoehler]

Just my experience with PCloud. Back in 2020 I learned the hard way that their backup system didn't work as it was supposed to. I lost several files when my laptop crashed and they were never recovered. Response from PCloud was not good (they had no clue what happened and couldn't reassure me that the same wouldn't happen again). So I canceled my subscription and then a few months later they billed me upon renewal! And then I had to go back to them to get a refund.

Maybe they're better a couple of years later but I did NOT have a good experience.

[Macki]

I think you should check the relevant websites but I have tested pCloud with Mac, Windows, Linux, iOS, and Android and it appears to work with all of those.

[Macki]

I've used a lot of backup solutions over the years, and every single one has failed at some point - sometimes in a minor way, and sometimes a major one.  I think it's unwise to use a backup strategy that relies solely on any one method.  For me, cloud storage is a convenient and valuable way of syncing information across computers, but I would never rely on it as the sole backup for critical information.