Apple Silicon (M1) Desktop Sync Compatibility

You will get it the next update.

jekratz Are you sure about that? It's still in beta and snmorbe apparently hasn't opted for early releases.

jekratz Ah, sorry, didn't see your followups. Interesting!

For reference for everyone here is the desktop client release page:

https://www.dropboxforum.com/t5/Dropbox-desktop-client-builds/bd-p/101003016

It shows beta/release versions.

With the version you have it seems it should be Apple Silicon though. It can be a weird timing thing with their updater though. If it doesn't auto update with the next official release I'd go to that page I posted and just manually install the Apple Silicon release.

And just for reference here is my Activity Monitor for the same version (142.4.4197)

jlaguna and jekratz I have chat with 4 Dropbox support people. They all tell me that the 142.4.4197 version is a stable version, but the version which works with Rosetta. I don't have the earlier release option open. I don't want that.

One of them tell me:

( 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.

jekratz Hm, looking at your Activity Monitor output, I believe you were simply upgraded to an Apple Silicon version of the classic Dropbox app that still uses the now deprecated MacOS file extensions — the M1 MacBook Air that I have in my office was upgraded automatically to that version as well a couple months ago. These file extensions are not going to be supported in future versions of MacOS. The version that is still in beta uses the MacOS FileProvider extension that Apple is requiring Dropbox, OneDrive, and other sync services to use in future versions of MacOS instead of the deprecated extensions. This is the only version that will be supported longterm.

That there are actually two very different Apple Silicon versions of Dropbox at the moment is yet another thing that Dropbox has not clarified in this bizarre saga...

Yes that was the last release version, yet still a native Apple Silicon release. The one you are referring to I assume is the beta which I will not install.

But that release only came out a couple weeks back. Prior it was beta (which I was also messing with and had too many issues so went back to Intel until they officially released it).

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.

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?

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.

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.

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/highlight/false#M6708

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?

Thanks for the help and answers.

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?

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.

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

jlaguna and Emmet and jekratz Our problem is solved. We got the update this morning: 3 March 2022. So now we also have native apple silicon. I can see this in the system overview (click on about Apple, system overview, apps) and I can see this in de Activity Monitor. It is also another version number, no longer 142.4.4197. So there was an update this morning and everything is working fine.

Thanks to all!

snmorbe Glad to hear it!

It seems I have the native version, but I still see one Intel process. Why would this be?

Michael C.143 Perhaps there were vestiges of the Intel version remained when you were updated? I would use something like App Cleaner and Uninstaller to do a complete uninstallation and then reinstall the latest (non-beta) version via the Dropbox website.