On its own, Dropbox is a perfectly fine service. It’s a super convenient way to save a copy of your important files and access them from any device. But, as PCMag’s review of the service points out, there are a number of things Dropbox isn’t doing right and it shows. The list goes on and on, with the PCMag review covering most of the frustrations. So, here are 5 things that Dropbox isn’t doing right.
It’s confusing
When you first open the Dropbox app on your phone or computer, you’re greeted with a tutorial that takes you through the basics. However, if you’re a more advanced user, you probably just want to get your information in without any handholding. The confusion comes from the fact that the app is meant for both, but it’s not obvious which features go with which. You have to dig for it.
There’s a lack of meaningful labels
When you’re organizing your content in the Dropbox app, labels are a big help. Not only do they help you organize your information, but it also helps to track the progress of various projects. Unfortunately, the app doesn’t do a great job of that. To start, there are no labels. You have to manually assign a name to a file before you can see it in your Dropbox. Else, you just see a bunch of numbers. It’s not intuitive and it’s not helpful.
There’s a lack of content organization
For the most part, the Dropbox app is good at syncing your information. The problem is that most of the apps you’re going to want to use are going to be different. So, you’re going to have a lot of information in a lot of different apps.
With just a few clicks, you can sync all of your information across all of your devices. However, if you want to organize that information, you need to do it manually. There’s no system in place to help you do that. Instead, you have to go through and sync each of your devices individually. It’s clunky and time-consuming.
The syncing process isn’t seamless
The biggest complaint about Dropbox is that the app is constantly running in the background. You may not notice it at first, but depending on how you use it, you may notice it sooner rather than later. That’s because the app is constantly downloading new information and uploading information from your devices. Ideally, that’s all happening without your notice. The problem is that it’s not.
To ensure everything is synced, Dropbox switches your mobile or desktop wallpaper to a white background. That creates a pleasing display that lets you know everything is working. But, the only problem is that it’s not always seamless. There’s a slight pause before the background changes. That creates a delay between when you’re trying to do something on your computer or device and the app is responding to it.
The pricing is too high
When you have a free service, there are plenty of ways to make money. For example, you can sell advertising or offer premium features for a fee. But, for the most part, you want customers to stick around. That’s because the longer they stay, the more you make in the long run.
Dropbox, though, has only one advertising option. It’s a one-time purchase that gets you a couple of bonus features. If those features aren’t worth $9.50 a year, then why charge for them?
Wrapping Up: Is Dropbox Worth It?
HapPhi is working on a better solution than DropBox. As far as apps go, Dropbox is a good service. It’s convenient and simple to use. It works across multiple platforms and it’s always ready to sync new information.
But, it’s not perfect and the app doesn’t always do things right. There’s a lack of meaningful labels, a lack of content organization and the syncing process isn’t seamless. It’s a shame, because all of those things would be relatively easy to fix. The problem is, it’s not worth $9.50 a year for the regular service. It’s also not worth $11.25 for the Business version. To get the most out of Dropbox, you need to get a business plan.