This article was published on January 13, 2022

Dropbox now has a native app for M1 Macs, with improved performance

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Dropbox now has a native app for M1 Macs, with improved performance

Update (January 13, 2022): Dropbox has finally released a native version for Apple’s ARM-based Macs and MacBooks. This version will have better performance than Intel-based software running on an emulator. You can download it here.

Given their performance and power, it’s natural to be lured by Apple’s new lineup of ARM-based MacBooks. I made the switch to the M1-powered Air earlier this year, so I wouldn’t be surprised if many of you might be eyeing the Pro with the M1X processor — despite the notch.

To run the app, you need to use Apple’s emulation software called Rosetta. It could’ve been an okay solution, but a lot of people weren’t happy about its strain on the battery.

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On its forums, when people raised this issue, a Dropbox employee said in July that the post and needs more votes from users to be a priority task.

Thankfully, it seems enough people upvoted it as the company has officially said a Dropbox app supporting native M1 architecture is coming next year (while also admitting the upvoting was stupid)::

Dropbox currently supports Apple M1 through Rosetta. We have an internal build for native Apple M1 support, which we’re currently testing and we’re committed to releasing in the first half of 2022. While we regularly ask for customer feedback and input on new products or features, this should not have been one of those instances.

We don’t have a definitive date on when the app might be out, so till then, you’ll have to rely on the Rosetta-based version. Womp womp.

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