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/... 

[Marc A.6]

@biketocamp 

I went back to a free plan some time ago. Not going to pay for outdated software.

[MacUser84]

This is ridiculous.  Apple has changed the MacBook Air and Pro lineups with the M1 and the iMac is now also M1.  We all know that Apple is changing the entire Mac lineup to M1.  Even the iPad Pro uses the M1.   Time for DropBox to get going and get us universal binary or M1 native version ASAP.  My school, Liberty University, uses both DropBox and OneDrive.  Time to get the developers busy and stop with the maintenance Intel updates only.

[poiuztrewq]

Just FYI, there's already https://www.dropboxforum.com/t5/Dropbox-ideas/Apple-Silicon-M1-Desktop-Sync-Compatibility/idi-p/5277... about the same thing which has been ignored as well.

[Mannaffolki]

Dear Dropbox,

Apple silicon has been announced on november 10 of 2020. Almost one year ago.

There are a few threads running with the request of releasing a native M1 version for Apple silicon users, since Dropbox is amongst one of the only apps/software left that doesn’t run natively.

The problem being that Dropbox is a memory hog and we’d like to see this fixed.

Since we apparently don’t have the right to an answer in those threads and when you do answer you’re just evading the question, I thought it’s be a great idea to start a new post.

When oh when will we see a native M1 version?

Is there anyone at Dropbox who knows? Is there even anyone who cares at this point?

Give us something. A timeline. A hard no. Anything. So we - M1 users waiting for a native version - can at least know what we’re up against and cancel out membership if need be.

Thank you for reading.
But more so, thank you for replying.

Regards
Tiemen

[Martin H.53]

Given that it took them right up until Apple discontinued 32-bit support completely to bother recompiling Dropbox as a 64-bit binary (i.e. it took them almost 10 years), I really wouldn't hold my breath. At this stage, my impression is that the Dropbox development team consists of one part-time intern in a basement.

[csdolby]

Good thing is that both this and the Raspberry Pi ARM ideas are really starting to make strong headway.

If the votes thing actually makes any difference, then hopefully some work will be oncoming with this.

@Megan can these two be reconsidered? This has moved above the number of votes for quite a few things that have been delivered, based on all time votes.

[Hannah]

Thanks for your thoughts on this, everybody. 

We are working to ensure that Dropbox, and all its features, continue to be fully compatible with all devices that run supported versions of MacOS. 

For the moment you will need to have Rosetta to run the Dropbox desktop client, on devices using Apple's new M1 processor.

You can find information on installing Rosetta here.

[Mannaffolki]

@Hannah really now.

You do this every time.

Silence for months and then you just jump in, tell us some random fact and then we don’t get to see you again until next spring.

Tell us something we didn’t know instead of stating the obvious.

Give us a timeline, an ETA, an ‘**bleep** off we ain’t doing that sh*t’, anything.

But don’t come on here wasting everyone’s time and energy.

I’ve had about enough of this and the disrespect from the whole of Dropbox, thinking that an M1 native version is just something extra you’ll just casually get to in a decade.

Get to work already!

[biketocamp]

moment: a very brief period of time.

[Grant6]

As I’m selling my Intel-based MacBook Pro, as of today I have 7 “desktop” computers. Exactly one of them runs Dropbox natively (but poorly because it’s an Ubuntu box). The rest of my “desktops” are ARM based or aren’t powerful enough (Surface Go) to install the desktop version. The rest of the desktops are a combination of Raspberry Pi’s, M1 Macs, and a Surface Pro X. Dropbox will fully run only on the two Macs (using Rosetta), will run a not-useful-enough Dropbox for S Mode on the two Surfaces, and won’t run at all on the Raspberry Pi’s (although I can in theory sync using a third party open source app “rclone”). Since my ecosystem is thoroughly grounded in Dropbox Pro, what this practically means is that I have little hooks set up, sometimes using rsync to my Mac Mini M1, sometimes using OneDrive, sometimes using Resilio Sync (which is rapidly gaining traction as it runs on the Macs and Raspberry Pis and doesn’t require an external service). I don’t have a complete replacement for Dropbox yet, but its usefulness is being rapidly eroded by lack of support for my devices, which are all ARM but two.