Syncing icons on the files in the Dropbox folder have changed

[johnrinek]

Hello
The Finder Extension Icons indicating whether a file or folder is Online Only or Available Offline are showing up in my Finder, however, the statuses are incorrect. For instance a folder that contains files that are both Online Only files and Available Offline files is showing a cloud icon, when it should be showing a white circle with a green checkmark and green outline. I think the Finder Extension is confused. Is there a way to reset the Finder Extension so the icons show correctly without changing the Online Only or Available Offline settings that I have for my files/folders? I do not want to change the statuses of my files/folders, I just want the icons to indicate the statuses correctly. Thank you.
Mac 10.14.6
Dropbox 152.4.4880

[arigoldfilms]

 @Megan is anyone at Dropbox listening?

[Mantas212]

Don't think so :^)

[Rua]

Hi everyone,

Thank you for the feedback. It’s helpful for us to understand how this change impacts your workflows.

We acknowledge that what the sync icons mean, for folders in particular, is the main source of confusion and frustration for many people in this thread. We want to assure you that our Product and Design teams hear your feedback.

Why did we make this change?

This change aligns with updated Windows and macOS design patterns, UI guidelines and security best practices.

Additionally, online-only files will become commonplace for most Dropbox app users. If extra space is required on your hard drive, the Dropbox desktop app or the OS may automatically convert your files to online-only. For this reason, we thought it would be important for users to quickly identify which files may automatically become online-only. In other words, files that are available offline will never be moved automatically by our app or the OS to online-only. Files in an available state can be automatically moved to online-only if you are running out of hard drive space.

What do the icons mean?

This Help Center article gives an overview of what each sync icon means.

However, let’s look more in depth into what the sync icons mean for folders:

Available offline

This means that all the files/folders contained within the folder:

• have the state available offline
• are stored on your PC/Mac and on dropbox.com
• are fully synced
• cannot be moved automatically to online-only (of course you can manually make the folder online-only)

Available

This means that:

• at least 1 file/folder contained within the folder has the available state
• there are 0 files/folders contained within the folder that have the online-only state
• files/folders within the folder can have the available offline state
• files/folders within the folder are stored on PC/Mac and on dropbox.com
• files/folders within the folder are fully synced
• depending on state, files can be automatically moved to online-only if you are running out of hard drive space

Online-only

This means that:

• at least 1 file/folder contained within the folder has the online-only state
• files/folders within the folder can have the available offline or available state
• files/folders within the folder are fully synced
• depending on state, files can be automatically moved to online-only if required

Thanks again for your feedback on this.

[Mantas212]

I'm sorry, but how does this explanation resolve the issue? The problem isn't that we don't understand what the new icon system means, but that it doesn't make sense and it isn't useful. This doesn't address the most popular beef with this change - why would I want my folder icon to show online-only status if most of the files inside are available offline? I'm not saying that the way DB saves space on my computer is bad, but now it's hard to manage storage myself witch is very important to me.

[michael tan]

yes, for the BILLIONTH time, none of us misunderstand what the ticks now mean. The contention is, and always was, that it is a BAD system.

In particular:

• the distinction between files which are AVAILABLE and AVAILABLE OFFLINE is so trivial that it doesn't warrant a different icon.

• we have lost the ability to determine which "online-only" folders contain local files, and which don't.

The previous system was just perfect, and this new system is nonsensical and confusing. And as a result, I am currently looking for a new cloud service for my business.

[ppadmin]

And we acknowledge that what the sync icons mean, and we're saying is that this was a completely unnecessary, useless, not completely though out change that does noting to improve the usability of the service, and in fact makes it more confusing and less intuitive. Sometimes the Product and Design teams get it wrong. Can they just take the L on this one and change it back?

[William F.5]

Here's the latest reply from Dropbox:

Dear customer,

Are you an idiot? The new system could not be simpler.

A green icon means A, B, C, or D. And sometimes E.

A gray icon means F, G, or H. Except when it means I. (Please see attached schedule of icons for additional details.)

A white icon means J, K, L, or M. Basically, it's for folders that are a mixture of online and offline. Except sometimes white icons are arbitrarily attached to individual files. This means either that the file itself is a mixture of online and offline, or that it was synced using a different means than a file with a green icon. If you synced your file over Wifi, it will appear green; if you used LAN, then it will be white. (This may vary depending on your OS, so please see attached schedule.)

Like I said, the system is staggeringly simple, and you are a pathetic dolt for not understanding it. If you were smarter, you would like the new system.

To follow up with customer service, please navigate our nonexistent customer service page.

Sincerely,
Dropbox

[William F.5]

Actually, it's even more complicated that this, because I have FOLDERS that consist entirely of local files but for some reason have a white icon.

[ppadmin]

CC: Product and Design team

One other thing... this may sound crazy, but if you want to convey a new state then maybe, I don't know, come up with a new icon? I know, I know, this is edgy and extreme, but it actually can be done. The universe will not implode if more than 3 folder sync icons exist simultaneously.

[ppadmin]

@William F.5 Ummm, did you even look at the icon reference sheet? Everyone knows that means the folder synced on a Monday. Come on, be smarter.