Dropbox is limiting free profiles functionality and switching them to subscription service
The popular cloud service has changed the rules for servicing accounts. The Dropbox cloud has now moved to paid plans for users who previously used free profiles. In addition to monetization, global changes have also affected the rules for synchronization with other devices. Dropbox decided to set a limit on devices connected to one account for synchronization. From now on, users can add up to three devices to their account. Dropbox, the owner of the service of the same name, decided to act suddenly and did not warn about the global changes in profile owners. The innovations concern everyone who used the cloud at a free rate, regardless of geographic location. Dropbox explained its decision by the belief that three devices are enough for one user, for example, one computer and two smartphones or a PC in conjunction with a laptop and a smartphone. The new regulations will not worsen the situation of the account owners, who have already connected more than three devices to the profile. They will not have to delete unnecessary ones or pay extra. But now, if you need to bind another additional device, users will have to delete the previously added ones. The rules will not affect business accounts and corporate clients of Dropbox, for them the number of synchronized devices is not limited. One of the options that cloud dropbox now provides for the return of unlimited use is a paid plan. The most budgetary ones range around $ 10. Another possibility of how to keep unlimited in free mode is to use the cloud through browsers, that is, access to one account from each separate device.
The true reason why Dropbox changed its policy and took a step towards monetization is unknown. If you look at the company's financial performance for the 3rd quarter of 2018, out of more than 500 million registered users, only 2.5% used paid services of the service. At the same time, in comparison with the 3rd quarter of an even earlier 2017, the company's revenue increased by a quarter, which even exceeded the expectations of experts who had predicted more modest figures. This is not the first attempt that the Dropbox service, or rather the company of the same name, is making to transfer free profiles to a subscription service. The last time it happened was almost three years ago. In 2016, Dropbox blocked the handy mobile image auto-upload feature, where every photo taken with a smartphone was automatically sent to the cloud. With its help, the account owner could access photos from any other device synchronized with the service.
The instant reaction of users is clearly reflected in the very colorful messages on Twitter. At the time of its launch in 2007, the Dropbox cloud was virtually the sole proprietor of the niche with no competitors. But by 2019, the situation had changed. Branded cloud services are offered by Amazon (Amazon Drive), Google ("Google Drive"), Microsoft (Microsoft OneDrive), there are also regional services in many world countries. In USA, these are, for example, Files.Mail.ru and Yandex.Disk. The Topic of Article: Dropbox is limiting free profiles functionality and switching them to subscription service. |
